“Visas for Europe were being extended by up to one month as some Schengen embassies were not operating fully.”
— Jay Bhatia, Vice-President, Travel Agents Association of India
Indians continue to face delays in getting EU, US visas. According to reports, no appointment dates were available for this month and the next at many EU embassies. Visas for the US and Canada were also taking time, they said.
Satbir Singh, founder and CEO of Thinkstr and writer of campaigns like “Incredible India” and “Bajaate Raho”, recently tweeted to @FranceinIndia, the official Twitter account of the ambassador of France, saying that he was likely to miss Cannes Lions as the earliest visa appointment date available seemed to be after the fest.
“While there is a strong demand for Europe, led by Switzerland, France, Italy and Austria, visa challenges are resulting in a pushback on departure dates for India’s peak summer season.”
— Rajeev Kale, President and Country Head for Holidays, MICE and Visa at Thomas Cook (India)
Jay Bhatia, vice-president of Travel Agents Association of India, was quoted saying that visas for Europe were being extended by up to one month as some Schengen embassies were not operating fully. “US, Europe and Canada visas are also taking time. The demand is high but there is no visa supply and no respite from the consulates. We have been told some of these consulates don’t have full-fledged teams in place post the pandemic and that they may have been given mandates to issue a certain number of visas only.” So, many travellers had decided to visit other destinations such as Mauritius, Seychelles or Singapore, he said.
The embassy of Switzerland in India, in a reply to a query from ET said that while there was an increase in visa applications, there was no delay at the embassy’s end. “The applicants should be aware of the turnaround time of 15 working days, as per the Schengen Codex. Despite the increased number of applicants, the Swiss Embassy in New Delhi remains as responsive in terms of visa issuance.”
Rajeev Kale, President and Country Head for holidays, MICE and visa at Thomas Cook (India), said that while there was a strong demand for Europe, led by Switzerland, France, Italy and Austria, visa challenges were resulting in a pushback on departure dates for India’s peak summer season.
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