It’s the worst feeling when the trip that you’ve planned for months on end is in jeopardy because of annoying visa complications. For those of you with British passports, it might be hard to relate to what I am saying because you hardly need a visa to go anywhere in the world (except to come back to your own homeland, India maybe)! But unlike you guys, for most of us stuck with that little blue booklet the Indian government issues us with, the nightmare of international travel doesn’t begin at the airport, with body scanners and baggage problems. Getting a visa, that elusive little stamp, is the first big hurdle to be crossed. Indians, like most citizens of third world nations, need a visa to go everywhere (except maybe Sri Lanka or Nepal where it can be stamped upon arrival) and very often, a lot of us simply give up on the idea of going abroad because of the big bureaucratic nightmare involved.
Of course my passion for travel far outweighs any mental agony I might have to brave this lengthy process. So this week I set out with a swagger in my stride to 23 Belgrave Square, i.e. the German Embassy in London, to get a Schengen visa for a European holiday I had planned with my family. I was confident that after having complied with the massive list of documents they’d asked for, (air tickets, travel insurance, letter of employment, bank statements for the last 3 months, 2 photographs with exact specifications, letter of invitation from my cousin residing in Switzerland, hotel bookings and bookings for internal train/car/taxi travel within the Schengen zone. Whew!!) there would be no reason to worry. How wrong I was!
As I walked to the counter with glee on my face, the brisk woman at the counter suspiciously checked each document carefully, and after promptly taking 53 pounds from me (yes, that’s the visa fee!) said it would be at her supervisor’s discretion whether or not to grant me entry. Apparently some bizarre rule in the Schengen agreement states that you need to apply for a visa not at the embassy of the country which is your first point of entry (in my case it was Germany), but at the embassy of the country where you will spend the longest part of your vacation (Switzerland in my case), so I should have applied there.
This is probably the most convoluted way of going about what should be a quick and easy process. But leave aside the rules for a minute. What irked me was the fact that they were accepting applications (and the fees), and then saying the visa might not be granted. If it doesn’t fall under your rules and regulations, why accept the application in the first place? Why not tell me, sorry sir but you will have to go to the Swiss embassy instead? I can’t think of this as anything but a shoddy underhand way of making money from unsuspecting tourists. God alone knows how many rejections they hand out every day so that people can reapply and pay the hefty administrative fee again! The US consulate does it brazenly. Several members of my family for instance have been refused a visa for the first time, no questions asked, only to be granted a 10-year multiple entry permit after applying again!
At a time when Europe is going through probably the worst economic recession in its history, the revenues and foreign exchange it could earn from prospective tourists like me would go a long way in helping them claw their way out of the mess they are in. Some reports suggest a dramatic 130% rise in outbound tourists from India between 2006 and 2011. In fact the total number of Indian tourists going abroad is set to cross the 16 million mark by next year alone. That’s a 4th of Britain’s population! Maybe it is time to encourage us with an easier and friendlier approach, rather than daunt us with a barrage of ridiculous demands. I can understand being vigilant is important, especially in these times of international terrorism, but complicating visa procedures for innocent applicants without any history of any wrongdoing is only going to discourage this healthy trend of global mobility we are seeing.
I have been warned by several online travel forums and travel agents to be prepared for my first ‘REJECTED’ stamp which would stain my clean ‘visa history’ up till now. This would compel me to disclose, on every application I make in the future, that I’ve ever been refused a visa previously, in effect biasing the issuer.
Tuesday morning is when the big suspense will end. Hope I get it!
Nikhil has a Masters in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Westminster, London. He began his career with Times Now - a leading English language news channel in India and went on to become Associate Producer for News Features at Bloomberg UTV, Mumbai. He is currently living in London straddling 2-3 part-time jobs. He spends his free time and money traveling, reading fiction, deciding to exercise and wondering what to do next in life!
Peta Jinnath Andersen is a freelance and fiction writer. Born in Sydney, Australia, to a Fiji-Indian father and Scottish mother, she’s a bit confused about her background, but loves it all the same. Currently living in the US, she has just had her first child, and is busy studying hard in an effort to learn more about her Indian heritage – including taking Hindi lessons – so she can teach her son about just what it is that makes an NRI special.
on April 20, 2010
at 8:44 pm
Everyone bitches and moans about the Schengen Visa complications. Of all, I’d urge you to find out the reason why they’ve stipulated all these requirements such as asking for a confirmed Hotel accomodation (an actual fax from the hotel to me), and on an on. There has to be a reason. My journalist friend, can you find out?
on June 4, 2010
at 11:03 am
Nikhil
I completely agree with you on this matters as this Schengen visa process is too complicated when you want to visit few countries, cant we just have a system where it is only important to pin point first point of entry because the information is very vague, I bet every embassy has different information.
I wonder how did it go with you, well what I think is all these embassy’s do never issue any kind of rejection I comment from my personal experience few times & loads of friends getting it done unless really poorly filed documents with no funds available at all.
I wil be travelling to Poland [Cunning Plan to get a schengen visa ], Germany, Swiss, France.
I aish you all the ebst mate
Kind Regards
Harshal Sankhe
on June 21, 2010
at 7:17 am
Gonna apply for one. Don’t scare me. It is horrifying to think they will reject a visa just to make some money and approve when person applies next!! It never occured to me! But I am glad, I am straight away applying for a Swiss visa.
on June 27, 2010
at 6:17 pm
i beg to differ my friend.. i had the same situation i am going to france and spain but i am living in france for 4 days and spain for 5 and i decided to apply from the french embassy.. Once i got there they warned me about this problem before they asked me for the fees! so i just basically made my stay in spain the same amount of days as france.. lets hope they give me the visa now..
on August 29, 2011
at 10:39 am
Nikhil! Did you get your visa or not? Please brief us.
on August 29, 2011
at 11:05 am
Omar – Yes I did! However if you are going, pl call up the embassy and check where you should apply in order to avoid any confusion.
on August 29, 2011
at 11:13 am
Nikhil! I dont know whether you will b able to give me some suggestions. Actually, 6 months ago I applied for Schengen visa from French consulate but I got rejected without being mentioned any reason. I tried to contact them again for the reasons but they ignored me. Now I am thing to re-apply again!
Could you suggest me to re-apply from same (french) consulate or shall I re-apply from other consulates…like swiss or italian? Have you heard any case when person first rejected reapplied thru other consulate and approved second time?
on October 27, 2011
at 8:56 pm
I am married to a Brit and our son has a British passport. The French Embassy granted me schengen visa years ago when we attended my sister in law’s wedding. The visa has expired qn this time we want to visit Spain. We were in Nicaragua that time and off I went to the Spanish Embassy but they refused to process my application because I am not resident of Nicaragua. French Embassy in Nicaragua say only Spanish Embassy handle schengen applications. Flights are so expensive to change so my family traveled to Spain without me and I changed my flight to London. Just looked at the French Embassy website and I have to be resident in the UK to get a schengen visa from their embassy. So I have to fly back to the Philippines, apply there then fly to Europe?
Good luck to all applicants! Wish you all the best
on October 30, 2011
at 5:39 pm
Nikhil,
Is the schengen Visa process same for People going on work permits? Or is it a bit easy ? Was curious to know, how difficult can it be ..
on December 16, 2011
at 7:48 am
Except that these fences havent served Europe well. A tall fence can keep 3rd worlders out, but how will Europe live when 100% of its population consists of welfare whores?
No wonder, Portugese job seekers have flooded into Angola now. Take that, Europe. Watch out Angola, there is a flood of worthless, jobless, welfare whoring Europeans headed your way!
And of course, I read about British butlers in heavy demand in rich households in China and Russia!
And of course, I wonder why Indians need visas to travel to Britain when TATA is the No. 1 industrial employer of Brits. With 8000 Brits lined up for 1000 jobs at TATA, they would do well to humble themselves.
on December 16, 2011
at 3:10 pm
@ Nikhil,
I understand your frustration on getting the Schengen visa. Let me explain
why it could have been refused.
Since you hold an Indian Passport and travelled to Britain for which you had obtained a Visa to UK from India you should also have arranged your holiday while in India to Germany and Switzerland and applied for your Swiss Visa followed by the Schengen Visa in India.
The reason why I say (first your Swiss Visa followed by the Schengen Visas in India.) is that you intend entering Swiss via Germany.
The possession of a Schengen tourist visa does not allow you entry to Swiss from any of the Schengen state countries. On the other hand if you had a Permanent Resident Visa from any Schengen countries you would be allowed entry in to Swiss because you are employed and you have no problem getting back to the Schengen state country where you permanently reside even though you might hold an Indian passport.
Under normal circumstances holding the little Blue Book from India or for that matter any other 3rd world country is the reason. Because in the last 3 decades there was so much human trafficking from some of the countries.
For example Many people fled Sri Lanka due the war.
Most came through several other countries before they arrived in any Schengen country purposely losing their Passports and applying for refuge status. So making entry illegally they lived on state benefits and walked through fields into neighboring countries and applied for benefits there too.
So actually almost all the Schengen state countries had this problem and started closing the loopholes. You are facing this problem because thousands of such people set a bad precedence.
So your assumption that they collect Visa fees to fund their financial crises is unfounded.
Any one coming to Britain and arranging a holiday to any Schengen country could face similar refusals.
If you need any further information please post your question @Rajpriya
on NRI.
I hope my message is clear. I will give correct information. I live in Germany.
on December 23, 2011
at 2:11 pm
i am an nri working in saudi arabia can i apply for shengan visa in india. because i need to take my son with me for tour. my son is studying in india.
on December 23, 2011
at 4:12 pm
@mdgr,
You have to apply for your Schengen Visa in Saudi Arabia because you are employed in Saudi.
When you apply you have provide the following documents with your Visa Application.
Passport valid at least for one year from the date of your travel
Your place of residence in Saudi (full address, with Tel No,)
At times they ask for police report from the area where you reside in Saudi.
Letter of employment from your employer stating your monthly salary and
How long you are in their employment,
Whether you have been granted leave for the period you will away from Saudi.
Whether you have a work permit and for how long it is valid
Your valid Residence Visa to Saudi (it should be endorsed on your Passport)
Your Saudi Residence permit must be valid for at least one year from the day you apply.
Any details friends or relations in Germany and if you did have, then letters from them to assure you will leave Schengen states before the expiry of Schengen Visa
Medical Insurance covering the period you will be in the Schengen countries.
Your travel itinerary, Return Air Ticket with confirmed hotel bookings.
Finally you will be required to pay non-refundable Visa fees. In case you are refused Visa the fees will not be refunded.
You son has to apply for his Visa in India.
on January 11, 2012
at 9:31 am
i haveworkpermit in india and want to go britain as a tourist how can i get british tourist visa please clear me this
on January 11, 2012
at 9:33 am
sorry i have work permit in italy n want to go britainas a tourist
on January 11, 2012
at 10:45 am
@arsad ali,
You need UK Visa. Here is where you can apply for it.
You will find all the information you need if you follow this link.
http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/find-an-embassy/europe/embassy-rome