Schengen visa restriction: Switzerland stops accepting applications from Indian tour groups

Swiss travel operators have been advised to plan group tours for a later date due to the overwhelming number of visa requests.

The Swiss embassy in New Delhi, India, asked tour operators on July 19 to stop accepting Schengen visa applications. This move comes due to the overwhelming number of visa requests received by the embassy.

Officials are unable to process any further applications for group travels until at least September. According to reports, Swiss tour operators in India have been advised to plan group travels for a later date. This recommendation aims to ensure that visa applications can be submitted and processed on time, allowing sufficient time for visas to be issued before the scheduled travel dates.

This came at a time when tour operators usually receive a huge number of visa application requests from travellers hoping to visit cooler destinations during the summer months. The decision left travel operators unhappy as group tours to foreign locales are the most profitable in India.

The Head of Markets East at Switzerland Tourism, Simon Bosshart, was quoted saying that he is aware of the issue and stressed that the Swiss embassies are currently dealing with a lack of staff.

According to a media report, there is a backlog of applications in the embassies of Schengen countries whose staff was reduced due to travel restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic and were not hired again. Furthermore, the report highlighted that Germany, France, and Italy are among the countries still experiencing delays in processing visa applications, resulting in some applications being put on hold or pending.

Although Switzerland is not in the European Union (EU), it is in the Schengen area of countries that have abolished border controls between each others’ borders - meaning Indians need a visa to visit Switzerland.

Schengen refers to the EU passport-free zone that covers most European countries, including Switzerland. All nationals of third countries which have not yet reached a visa-liberalisation agreement with the Schengen member states must obtain a visa before arriving in Europe.

The Schengen area refers to the EU passport-free zone that encompasses most European countries. It’s the largest free travel area in the world. A Schengen visa is a short-stay visa that allows a person to travel to any member of the Schengen Area, per stay up to 90 days for tourism or business purposes.

News Source: Khaleej Times