The Swiss Embassy in India has made it clear that it has not stopped scheduling appointments for Indian tour groups to obtain Schengen visas. An embassy representative confirmed that they have a regular schedule of 800 appointments every day, covering 22 groups of tourists, up until the end of September.

The Swiss Embassy in New Delhi might not be able to accommodate new applications from tour groups due to increased demand, according to reports from SchengenVisaInfo.com and other media outlets, citing articles from Tamedia newspapers and Swissinfo.ch.

It is important to note that there was never a claim that appointments for Schengen visas for this particular group of travelers would be suspended.

According to the spokeswoman for the Swiss Embassy in India, the embassy has handled more Schengen visa applications this year than it did in 2019.

The Swiss Embassy in India has successfully processed a total of 128,446 Schengen visa applications from the beginning of this year through June, representing a significant increase of 7.8 percent compared to the time prior to the pandemic.

According to the spokesperson’s statement, “the Swiss Embassy in India has surpassed its pre-pandemic visa processing levels from 2019 in 2023. Our application count increased by 7.8% from January to June to 129,446, compared to 120,071 over the same time period in 2019.

The spokeswoman also emphasized the embassy’s initiatives to speed up Indian applicants’ Schengen visa application procedures. Notably, all Indian citizens who need a visa can apply six months before their scheduled departure date.

The Swiss Embassy in India has improved its overall operational capacity nationally in an effort to make it easier for Indian applicants to apply for visas. This year saw the opening of a new visa application facility in Lucknow, bringing the total number of application facilities in India to 13.

The spokesman also confirmed that steps have been taken to shorten the processing time. According to the statement, “At this time, the time elapsed between the appointment set up by our partner VFS and the Embassy’s determination of the application does not exceed 13 working days.”

No matter their intended purpose of travel, all citizens of India must apply for a visa in order to enter Switzerland and other Schengen nations because their country has not developed a visa-free travel policy.

Indian applicants need to provide a number of documents when applying for a visa to Switzerland, including a properly filled out application form, a current passport, two passport-sized photos, a confirmed roundtrip itinerary, proof of lodging arrangements, evidence of comprehensive travel health insurance, and evidence of sufficient financial resources, among other requirements.