France & Germany Were Among Top Destinations for Indian Visa Applicants in 2024

The number of visa applicants from India has increased in 2024, showing an upward trend in visa application rates.

According to a VFS Global release, the visa application volumes of Indian applicants increased by 11 per cent last year. Application rates were up even compared to pre-pandemic levels, showing further a surge of four per cent, Schengen.News reports.

Indians Headed to Several Countries – Mostly European Destinations 
As this press release issued by VFS Global and secured by Business Insider reveals, the most popular destinations for Indian visa applicants include many European countries such as France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. 

Countries like Canada, China, Japan, Saudi Arabia and the United States are also popular choices among Indian travellers, as the data reveals. 

According to statistics published by SchengenVisaInfo, Indians represented the third-largest group of visa applicants to the Schengen Area in 2023, filing 966,687 visa applications. 

Switzerland was the country with the most visa applications from India – a total of 189,646 or 19.6 per cent of 966,687 visa applications Indians filed in total during this year.

France was the second-most popular destination, receiving 176,237 or 18.2 per cent of all applications. Germany followed with 132,825 visa applications filed by Indian applicants, representing 13.7 per cent of the total. 

So, Switzerland, France and Germany received 498,708 applications, accounting for more than half (51.5 per cent) of all applications. 

Officials Warn Over Fake Websites & Security Breaches 
The Chief Operating Officer, Talwar, noted that many fake websites and social media pages are pretending to be VFS Global, having illicit purposes. 

Applicants are encouraged to be careful when applying for visas and are advised to check carefully on what website they are applying or getting their information.

In addition, travellers are advised to book flights and accommodation ahead of time and also be careful regarding their travel dates, as the rule of 90-day travel period could expire. With higher demand and limited appointment slots, applicants are advised to submit their visa applications as early as possible.

Source: https://schengen.news/france-germany-were-among-top-destinations-for-indian-visa-applicants-in-2024/