Shortage of Schengen Visa interview slots likely to impact your Europe travel plans

As the summer holiday season takes off, an increasing number of Indian travellers are encountering challenges in obtaining Schengen visas, given the surge in demand for travel to Europe in 2024. Reports indicate that securing an appointment for a visa interview in Germany or Italy is now only possible in July 2024.

If reports are to go by, this surge reflects a 44% increase in visa applications for Schengen countries, including those from India. In the past year alone, Schengen visa applications from India rose from 6.7 lakh in 2022 to 9.7 lakh.

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India stands as the second-highest globally in terms of the percentage rise in visa applications, closely following China. Despite this surge in demand, many Indian travellers are facing disruptions in their travel plans due to the scarcity of available visa interview slots. Anil Kalsi, Vice President of the Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI), lamented the situation, stating, “Appointments for Schengen Visa interviews are simply unavailable with the majority of Schengen countries. If you plan to travel to Europe this summer, the earliest appointment date for Germany and Italy is in July. This is making life very difficult for travellers.”

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Experts suggest that the actual demand from India may surpass the reported figures, indicating a higher need for visas than officially recorded. However, the shortage of available visa interview slots continues to impede the plans of aspiring Indian travellers. Kalsi emphasised the severity of the shortage of interview slots across most Schengen countries, highlighting how such circumstances compel travellers to settle for available slots in other destinations or even abandon their plans to visit Europe altogether.

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This surge in visa applications presents a contrasting narrative compared to countries like Russia and China. While demand from China skyrocketed to the top spot in 2022, witnessing a remarkable 1,104% rise compared to the previous year, Russia’s trajectory shifted from rank 2 in 2022 to rank 5 in 2023, attributed to its ongoing conflict with Ukraine. Geopolitical turmoil has resulted in a steep 25% decline in Schengen visa applications from Russia over the past two years.

In April 2024, the European Commission introduced specific rules for issuing multiple-entry visas to Indian nationals, which are more favourable than the standard rules of the Visa Code previously applied.

The recently introduced visa ‘cascade’ regime for Indian passport holders seeking Schengen (short-stay) visas aims to simplify the process and grant easier access to visas with multi-year validity, particularly for travelers who have a well-documented travel history.

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