A visa application in India normally goes something like this: First, a receptionist will check the copy of the appointment to let me in. Then she will ask me whether I am carrying my passport, fully filled in visa application form, photos and exact fees in cash. Only if I say ‘yes’ she will give me a waiting number and appoint me to security. Security will then check my bag, scan my body and ask me to switch off my mobile phone. When all these procedures are done, and I am considered innocent enough for a visa application - I am allowed to enter the hall and wait for my turn to see the visa officer.

I never questioned this method and believed this to be the most secure and efficient procedure. In The Hague, as Google Maps showed me the exact location, I looked up to see nothing but yet another Dutch house with some flags hanging from the roof. I walked down a few stairs, pushed the door open and found myself in a small room. There was nobody around, except a man sitting behind a counter. Realizing that I was already in front of the visa officer without going through any of the procedures, I handed in all required documents. Even more surprisingly, he expressed no annoyance as I told him I was short of cash. He gave me directions to the nearest cash machine, and I was allowed to go out, run to a cash machine in the next street, come back and finish my application.

Now I wonder why it takes so much security and complicated procedures to accept a visa application at other embassies in other parts of the world. Is it just a crowd management technique or a precaution against crime? Maybe both. However, the embassy in The Hague somehow gave me an impression on how security and efficiency can be built from freedom, trust and respect. I have taken some time to think about it. Did other authorities do the same?