Introduction – Germany reduces visa timing of Schengen visa in India to 8 weeks
A visa application is never an easy process. Even with all the difficulties, the processing time frequently proves to be the most frustrating. Here’s some good news if you’re thinking about visiting Germany. The processing time for Schengen visas to enter Germany has been shortened to eight weeks, and more efforts are being made to further shorten this period, according to Georg Enzweiler, the German Embassy’s deputy head of mission.
What is a Schengen Visa?
A Schengen visa is a particular kind of visa that allows travellers to freely enter and move throughout the Schengen Area, which consists of 27 European nations, including Germany. Passport and border checks have been eliminated between the nations that make up this group.
This visa replaces the requirement for separate visas for each country by allowing travellers to enter and remain in any Schengen nation for the specified time frame (up to 90 days).
Also Read: How To Get Schengen Visa
The New Rule
It will now only take 8 weeks to process the Schengen visas needed to enter Germany. As Georg Enzweiler, Deputy Head of Mission at the German Embassy, noted on Wednesday (9 August), ongoing efforts are being made to further shorten this period.
Currently, we are around eight weeks in. Since that is obviously what we desire, we aspire to improve in that area. – Georg Enzweiler [PTI]
Visas are of utmost importance, said Enzweiler. We are committed to speeding up application processing. Our need for rapid change is a challenge, yet administrative processes invariably cause delays, according to PTI.
Benefits of Schengen Visa
A Schengen visa allows travellers to enter and exit the 27-nation Schengen Area of Europe for stays of up to 90 days for either leisure or business. Getting around visa processing hold-ups has been difficult for anyone who want to go to Europe.
Over 623,000 nights were spent by Indian tourists in Germany in 2022, a significant increase of 209 percent from the year before. Nevertheless, according to recent data provided by the German National Tourist Board, this amount only represented 65% of the pre-pandemic levels.
Germany turned down 8,875 Indian requests for visas in 2022.
Loss of Rs. 87 crore
A startling amount of visa rejections for Indian citizens in 2022 has been revealed by recent statistics from SchengenVisaInfo.com.
- A considerable 1,21,188 (18%) applications from India were rejected out of a total of 6,71,928 visa applications.
- Each application for a Schengen visa costs 7,260 yen, or 80 euros.
- Over 487 crore was jointly spent by Indian applicants only on Schengen visa applications.
- Due to the denial of 1,21,188 visa requests, more than 87 crore of this amount was lost.
- According to additional statistics, Indian nationals who applied for Schengen visas to Germany in 2022 spent more than €6.1 million (about 54.4 crore) on visa application fees.
Contributed by Ankit Raj
Edited by Imtiaz Ullah
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