Europe travel plans disrupted for Indians as demand for Schengen visas increases; interview slots fall short

Schengen visa applications from India have seen a significant rise last year with 9.7 lakh applications as compared to 6.7 lakh in the year 2022 leading to unavailability of visa interview slots for many Indians, according to a recent report by the European Commission.

The remarkable 43% surge in Schengen visa applications from Indian nationals is the second-highest rise in visa applications after China, with Morocco and Turkey following suit, as per the report. 

India is also the country with third-highest number of visa applications, with a total of 966,687 filings.

“Appointments are simply not available with a majority of Schengen countries. If you want to travel to Europe this summer, the earliest appointment date for Germany and Italy is in July,” said Anil Kalsi, Vice-President of the Travel Agents Federation of India.

“This is making life very difficult for travelers. Rules require people to apply to the consulate of the country which will be their primary destination in Europe. But people are forced to opt for any country that has an appointment available for a visa in time,” Kalsi told Times of India.

The Schengen visa zone includes 25 EU member states along with four non-EU countries: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. The EU member states are — Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.

Several travel agents have complained to the Visa Facilitation Services (VFS) on various occasions but haven't received any responses, the TOI report said.

A spokesperson from visa processing agency VFS Global emphasized the importance of planning ahead to avoid last-minute setbacks. He further stressed upon the fact that visa decision timelines are under the discretion of respective foreign missions, the TOI reported.

Although most countries accept visa applications up to 90 days before the travel date, recent revisions in the Schengen Visa Code need applicants to apply for a Schengen visa up to 6 months before their intended travel date. 

However, these measures have not been enough to tackle the challenge of limited visa interview slots which continues to pose a significant hurdle for Indian travelers.