Demand for Schengen visas surges in India, leading to shortage of interview slots
PTC News Desk: India filed 9.7 lakh visa applications to Schengen nations last year, up 44 per cent from 6.7 lakh in 2022. India was the country with the third-highest number of visa applicants. According to the European Commission, India saw the second-highest increase in visa applications among the top five nations, after China.
Morocco and Turkey also saw increases in visa applications. Due to the influx, many Indians encountered difficulties, nevertheless, as there were not enough slots available for visa interviews, which interfered with their trip plans.
Anil Kalsi, vice-president of the Travel Agents Federation of India, stated to the Times of India that “most Schengen countries simply do not have appointments available.” July is the earliest available date if you would like to visit Germany and Italy during the summer.
For travellers, this is making things very tough. By law, applicants must submit an application to the consulate of the nation that would serve as their main European destination. However, individuals are compelled to choose any nation where a visa appointment is available on time.
Travel specialists in India believe that the actual demand for Schengen visas is probably far larger than what the official statistics indicate. But many Indians who wanted to travel could not even apply for Schengen visas since there were not enough slots available for visa interviews.
China and Russia have encountered distinct dynamics. China had a sharp increase in demand after opening its borders to outside travel only a year ago, rising from 22nd place in 2022 to the top of the table in 2023. With an astounding 1,104 percent growth, it showed the largest increase of any category and a ten-fold increase in applications over the prior year.
In contrast, Russia dropped from second place in 2022 to fifth place in 2023, mostly as a result of the war in Ukraine and the sanctions that followed. Over these two years, the percentage of Russians applying for Schengen visas dropped to 25 per cent.
The Times of India reports that a number of travel brokers have protested to the Visa Facilitation Services (VFS) on multiple occasions, but they have not heard back.
Speaking about the allegations, a VFS Global representative informed TOI that “the individual embassies/consulates have complete discretion over the timeliness of visa decisions.”
To minimize last-minute shocks, we strongly advise travelers to make early travel plans. The majority of nations grant visas up to 90 days (or three months) in advance of the intended departure date.” As per the updated Schengen Visa Code, which goes into effect on February 2, 2020, you have up to six months to apply for a Schengen visa before your intended departure date.
Actually, until recently, frequent travelers could obtain short-term visas from the European Union by repeatedly applying. However, according to TOI, nothing has changed.
Twenty-five EU members and four non-EU nations—Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland—are part of the Schengen visa area. Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden are the states that make up the European Union.