Czechia Facing Delays in Processing Schengen Visas for Indians Due to High Demand & Incomplete Applications

Similar to previous years, Czechia has been registering a high number of Schengen visa applications from Indians in 2024, too.

Despite the interest of Indians in visiting Czechia, not everyone is receiving a decision in time due to high demand as well as incomplete and last-minute submissions. 

Concerned about the current situation, the country’s travel industry leaders have called on the authorities to process applications faster, as the delays are leading to significant losses for Czechia, Schengen.News reports. 

According to Daniel Soukup from the travel agency NextMile Travel, there are Indian companies that want to bring a whole team of up to 500 people to Czechia for conferences and other leisure activities. 

However, due to visa issues, in the best scenario, only around 70 per cent of them are issued the document in time, Hospoarske Noviny explains. Taking into account that these trips also contribute to Czechia’s travel and tourism sector, the authorities have been called to take measures, whether that is increasing their capacity to process applications faster. 

Problem Lies in Incomplete Visa Applications, Foreign Ministry Says 
Commenting on the matter, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Czechia said that the problem of delays in visa processing for these groups of Indian travellers mainly lies in incomplete applications that do not contain all the necessary supporting documents. 

Speaking on behalf of the Ministry, the department spokesperson, Daniel Drake, said that the Czech Embassy in Delhi accepts applications for short-term Schengen visas without them containing all the needed documents.

In these cases, the Embassy then invites the applicants to submit the other missing documents, adding to the processing time. 

To deal with the large number of Schengen visa applications filed by Indians and to provide decisions on the applications as soon as possible, the spokesperson noted that they have already increased the capacity.

The same further stressed that other European Union missions in India are also dealing with the same issues. 

Data from the Ministry show that in 2023, the Czech Embassy in Delhi received around 18,000 Schengen visa applications. On the other hand, this year, the number of applications is even higher. According to the Ministry, the Embassy has already received more than 20,000 Schengen vids applications by Indians so far this year.

Source: https://schengen.news/czechia-facing-delays-in-processing-schengen-visas-for-indians-due-to-high-demand-incomplete-applications/