There has been a 44% rise in visa applications for Schengen countries, including from India.
Last year, Schengen visa applications from India rose to 9.7 lakh, compared to 6.7 lakh in 2022.India ranks second globally in terms of percentage rise in applications, followed by China.
Despite the rise in demand for Schengen visa from India, many Indian travellers would face disruptions in their travel plans due to the shortage of available visa interview slots.
Nonetheless, the scarcity of available visa interview slots has disrupted travel plans of many Indians.Anil Kalsi, Vice President of the Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) told Times of India, “[Schengen Visa interview] Appointments are simply not available with a majority of Schengen countries.
Nonetheless, the scarcity of available visa interview slots is hurting aspiring Indian travellers.
As more and more Indian travellers continue to make summer holiday plans, securing a Schengen visa is becoming increasingly difficult, given the surge in demand for travel to Europe in 2024. According to reports, the next available slot for an appointment for Germany and Italy is in July 2024. There has been a 44% rise in visa applications for Schengen countries, including from India. Last year, Schengen visa applications from India rose to 9.7 lakh, compared to 6.7 lakh in 2022.India ranks second globally in terms of percentage rise in applications, followed by China. Despite the rise in demand for Schengen visa from India, many Indian travellers would face disruptions in their travel plans due to the shortage of available visa interview slots. Nonetheless, the scarcity of available visa interview slots has disrupted travel plans of many Indians.Anil Kalsi, Vice President of the Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) told Times of India, “[Schengen Visa interview] 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. This is making life very difficult for travelers."However, despite official statistics, experts suggest that the actual demand from India may exceed the reported figures. Nonetheless, the scarcity of available visa interview slots is hurting aspiring Indian travellers. Kalsi highlighted the magnitude of the shortage of interview slots with most Schengen countries and stressed that such situations force travellers to settle for slots that are available for other destinations, or cancel their plans to visit Europe altogether.The surge in visa applications reveal a contrasting narrative from countries like Russia and China. While demand from the Asian country leaped to the top in 2022, China witnessed a remarkable 1,104% rise compared to the previous year. On the other hand, Russia's trajectory shifted from rank 2 in 2022 to rank 5 in 2023, which can be attributed to its ongoing conflict with Ukraine.The geopolitical turmoil has led to a steep 25% decline in Schengen visa applications from Russia over the past two years.In April, 2024, the European Commission adopted specific rules on issuing multiple entry visas to Indian nationals, which are more favourable than the standard rules of the Visa Code that applied to date.The new visa ‘cascade’ regime for Indian passport holders applying for Schengen (short-stay) visas was unveiled to provide easier access to visas with multi-year validity for travellers with an established travel history.
