The Swiss embassy said today that it has not suspended Schengen visa appointments for Indian tour groups and that people-to-people contact is at the core of the Swiss-Indian relationship. The statement comes amid reports of such visa appointments being suspended until October.
The Embassy of Switzerland in India also emphasised that it has surpassed its pre-pandemic visa processing level.
A statement issued by the embassy said, "The Embassy of Switzerland in India has not suspended Schengen visa appointments for Indian tour groups. We have almost 800 daily appointments through the end of September 2023. These include 22 groups."
"People-to-people contact is at the core of the Swiss-Indian 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 January until June, we handled 129,446 applications, as against 120,071 during the same period in 2019 - a 7.8% increase," it added.
The embassy highlighted that it has implemented a series of measures since the beginning of 2023 to make the visa application process easier for Indians.
It said it is now possible for Indians to apply for their visa six months before their date of travel, as against one month in the past. Someone wishing to travel in June can, thus, apply for a visa in January.
The embassy stated that a new visa application centre has been opened in Lucknow this year, taking the total number of such centres in India to 13.
"Currently, it takes no more than 13 working days between the appointment by our partner VFS and the Embassy's decision on the application," the statement said.
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