The Norwegian Embassy in Abu Dhabi warned applicants from the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar to file their Schengen visa applications at least 15 days ahead of their travel date.
According to a press release by the authority, applicants are also advised not to purchase their plane tickets before receiving a positive answer on their application. It is not possible to withdraw the passport before the application is processed, Schengen.News reports.
The Embassy reveals that applications submitted in the first half of August 2024 are currently being processed. The majority of those applications are filed by applications in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
In addition, visa appeals that were received before August 2023 are being processed, indicating there is a backlog of applications.
The press release by the Norwegian Embassy reveals that during high season, or cases when the Embassy needs more information, the processing time can go up to 45 calendar days. The same processing time can occur in cases when an application has been sent to the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI).
In addition, the authorities point out that applications will be pending for as long as the passport of the applicant remains at the Embassy and not to the VFS, which is responsible for communication with clients, as the Embassy does not receive phone calls or social media messages but rather accept emails – required to be written in English.
Applicants from the United Arab Emirates filed a total of 10,691 visa requests to Norway in 2023. The majority of these (72.8 per cent) were approved – 2,673 (34.3 per cent) of which are Multiple Entry Visas (MEVs).
Source: https://schengen.news/norway-advises-middle-east-pakistan-schengen-visa-applicants-not-to-purchase-tickets-before-visa-approval/
