The Embassy of Switzerland has issued an official statement highlighting the current situation related to the Swiss Schengen Visa. The Embassy of Switzerland in India has not suspended Schengen visa appointments for Indian tour groups.
In fact, the Embassy has almost 800 daily appointments through the end of September 2023. These includes 22 groups.
In a press communication released by the Embassy of Switzerland it is said that People-to-people contact is at the core of Swiss-India relationship.
“In 2023, the Embassy of Switzerland in India has processed more visa applications than it did in 2019. We have surpassed our pre-pandemic times processing level. From Januray untill June, we handled 129,446 applications, as against 120, 071 during the same period in 2019-7.8% increase,” reads the media statement.
According to the statement, the following measures have been implemented since the beginning of this year to further ease the visa application process for India 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.
Second, the Embassy 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.
