Easier Schengen visa rules were introduced for Indian citizens by the European Commission that went into effect on April 18th.
These rules enable Indian citizens to apply for multiple entry visas that have a greater validity period. Both consulate staff and Indian applicants have hailed this decision.
The new policy
George Enzweiler, a German diplomat, said that the new visa policy was mutually beneficial for the consulates and Indian travelers, calling it a ‘win-win’.
The new Schengen visa rules state that a long-term multiple-entry visa can be acquired by Indian travelers with a validity of two years, as long as they have an established travel history.
If the passport of the applicant has enough validity left, they would then be eligible to obtain a five-year Schengen visa.
According to Enzweiler, these new rules marked a step in the ‘right direction’. He serves as the Deputy Head of Mission at the German Embassy.
He stated that the new rules are agreed upon by all Schengen members. He added that they hoped these new rules were not the last step when it comes to making it easier to acquire visa.
However, he added that all members do need to have a discussion before they approve any more rules for Indian nationals.
Travel demand
Enzweiler also revealed that there had been an increase in visa applications recorded in Germany by Indian citizens.
Data showed that in 2023, a total of 130,000 Schengen visa applications had been submitted and about 120,000 had been granted.
He disclosed that this was significantly better than the numbers in 2022. Back then, they had received a total 76,000 Schengen visa applications and about 67,540 had been issued.
Travel and tourism representatives said they expected a 15% increase in interest in traveling to EU countries from India after the visa rules had been eased for facilitating travelers.
The details
Nishant Pitti, the CEO of the platform EaseMyTrip, revealed that they had seen a 12% rise in the number of Indian travelers interested in traveling to one of the countries in the Schengen zone.
He went on to say that the recent changes that were made in the regulations of Schengen visa would prove to be a game changer for the entire travel industry.
He disclosed that since multi-year Schengen visas were introduced, their platform had already seen a rise in interest from Indian travelers on their platform between 10 and 12%.
Pitti also revealed that taking into account the recent trends on the platform, the favorite destinations of Indians seem to be Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland and Greece.
While the Schengen visa rules for Indian citizens have been relaxed, the opposite has happened in the case of Ethiopians.
Only single-entry visas will not be issued to Ethiopians and they will be required to submit evidence documents, with no exemptions given.
In addition, a Schengen visa fee will also be applicable to service and diplomatic passport holders and they have also extended the visa processing time, which is now 45 days.
