Europe is an ideal destination for travel. The Schengen visa makes traveling to Europe simple by allowing access to 26 countries without border controls between them. Popular countries like France, Germany, Spain and Greece are all included in the Schengen countries. Today we will be talking about the Schengen visa processing time and how to avoid delays.
The Schengen visa is a short stay visa. It allows the holders to travel across the Schengen area. The Schengen area consists of 26 countries. The Schengen visa countries are Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
The three major categories of Schengen visas are the:
- Uniform Schengen Visas (USV)
- Limited Territorial validity visas (LTV)
- National Visas
Under these categories of Schengen Visas, the types of Shengen visas issued to applicants are the:
- Tourist Schengen Visa
- Business Schengen Visa
- Student Schengen Visa
- Working Schengen Visa
- Transit Schengen Visa
Schengen Visa Processing Time
When to apply for the Schengen visa
The recommended time to apply for the Schengen visa is three to four weeks before the applicant’s upcoming trip. The rules allow the applicant to apply six months before the plan to travel. Countries like France and Germany have to process an especially large number of applications. Please allow for some extra time if applying to these countries.
The European summer holiday period (July to August) and other busy times of the year would also be a good time to leave extra time for the processing of the application.
The applicant can apply for the Schengen visa by:
- filling out the Schengen visa application form
- Booking an appointment at a consulate, embassy or visa application centre
Processing Time
Generally the applicant will have to wait at least 15 days for the Schengen visa to be processed. The application is processed on a case by case basis, and in certain situations embassies can take up to 30 or 60 days.
If the applicant’s visa application process has been more complex, it may take longer to process their application. An example of this would be having to provide a significant number of supporting documents to officials for verification.
If the applicant is travelling in a friend or family group, this can also increase the processing time.
How to Prevent Delays
The applicant can prevent delays in the processing of the visa application by:
- Clearly and concisely filling out the application
- Ensuring that supporting documents are readily explainable
Schengen Visa from India
In India, the applicant can apply for a Schengen visa at the embassy or consulate of the country they are planning to visit. If they are planning to visit more than one country, they can apply at the embassy of the country they are planning to spend more time in. If the applicant will be spending the same amount of time in multiple countries, they can apply at the embassy of the country where they will land first.
The applicant can fill The Shengen visa application online.
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FAQs
It generally takes 15 days to process.
Yes it can take up to 30 to 60 days due to various circumstances.
General recommended time is three to four weeks before the upcoming trip.
Yes this is very likely.
26 countries.
