Haven't Suspended Schengen Visa Appointments For Indian Tour Groups: Swiss Embassy

The Embassy of Switzerland in India said that it processed more visa applications in 2023 than it did in 2019.

The Embassy of Switzerland in India said that it processed more visa applications in 2023 than it did in 2019.

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New Delhi: The Embassy of Switzerland in India clarified on Thursday that it has not suspended Schengen visa appointments for Indian tour groups. "We have almost 800 daily appointments through the end of September 2023. These include 22 groups. People-to-people contact is at the core of Swiss-Indian relationship," a Swiss Embassy spokesperson said.

The Embassy of Switzerland in India said that it processed more visa applications in 2023 than it did in 2019.

"We have surpassed our pre-pandemic times processing level. From January until June, we handled 129,446 applications, as against 120,071 during the same period in 2019 – a 7.8% increase," said the embassy.

Earlier, several publications ran the news that Switzerland has stopped accepting Schengen visa applications for Indian tour groups until October due to a high volume of pending applications. These articles attributed the news to SchengenVisaInfo.com.

The clarification from the Swiss mission came after various publications had reported that Switzerland has temporarily suspended accepting Schengen visa applications for Indian tour groups until October due to a high volume of pending applications. These articles were attributed to SchengenVisaInfo.com.

To further ease the visa application process, the embassy said applicants can now apply for their visa six months before their date of travel, as against one month in the past.

"The following measures have been implemented since the beginning of this year to further ease the visa application process for Indian applicants - First, it is possible for the applicants to apply for their visa six months before their date of travel, as against one month in the past. So, someone wishing to travel in June can already apply for a visa in January," a spokesperson for the embassy of Switzerland in India said.

 

The embassy said that it has increased its overall capacity in India. "With a new Visa Application Centre (VAC) in Lucknow, there are now 13 VACs all over India, where applications can be submitted. Third, currently, it takes no more than 13 working days between the appointment by our partner VFS and the Embassy’s decision on the application," the embassy's spokesperson said.