Due to the limited number of Schengen visa appointments, Indians are opting for travel destinations other than those located in the Schengen Area.
As travel and tourism industry executives have explained, Indians are considering spending their summer vacations in Australia, Georgia, and Japan instead of the Schengen Area, as these countries are applying less strict rules to them, Schengen News reports.
In addition to the three countries mentioned above, Indians are also showing interest in visiting Armenia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan.
Frustrated with the system, Indians have complained about the low number of available Schengen visa appointments.
They have said that it is impossible to find available slots, calling on the authorities to take measures as soon as possible.
Due to the limited number of appointments, a high number of Indians said they had no other choice but to cancel or postpone their travel plans to the Schengen Area.
Indian travel agents have also expressed concern about the current situation. They have said that the earliest available appointment for a German and Italian Schengen visa is in July.
This means that Indian passport holders who were planning to apply for a German or Italian Schengen visa will not be able to do so this or next month.
They will have to wait until new appointments are made available in July.
Indians Filed Almost 1 million Schengen Visa Applications in 2023
Recently published data show that Indians filed a total of 966,687 Schengen visa applications in 2023. Such a high number ranks Indians as the third nationality group with the most visa requests, after Chinese and Turks, which rank first and second, respectively.
Even though more than 966,600 Indians wanted to obtain Schengen visas last year, not everyone received a positive decision on their application.
Of the total, 811,290 Indian Schengen visa applicants were granted a Schengen visa last year. On the other hand, 151,752 applicants had their Schengen visa rejected.
The top five Schengen countries that issued the highest number of Schengen visas to Indian passport holders last year are Switzerland, France, Germany, Spain, and the Netherlands.
These five Schengen countries issued 166,919, 146,938, 118,919, 77,194, and 70,071 Schengen visas to Indians in 2023, respectively.
Citizens of India Are Now Eligible for 2-Year Multiple Entry Schengen Visas
Since April of this year, Indians have been eligible for two-year multiple-entry Schengen visas as the EU has adopted more favourable rules for them.
The new rules have been adopted in order to make it easier for Indians to travel to the bloc. However, not all Indians will be granted multiple-entry visas with a longer validity period.
As the EU Commission has explained, two-year multiple-entry Schengen visas will only be granted to Indian nationals who have lawfully obtained and used two Schengen visas in the last three years and who have an established travel history to the Schengen Area.
The two-year multiple-entry Schengen visa will, in most cases, be followed by a five-year visa as long as the passport of the applicant has sufficient validity remaining.
Source: https://schengen.news/indians-opting-for-alternative-destinations-due-to-limited-schengen-visa-appointments/
