Tourists who need a Schengen visa to enter the Schengen area may have to cancel or change their summer holiday plans if they have not yet applied, as there are no vacancies in the queue until mid-September. Schengen visa has become unavailable for travelers from other countries as well, Schengen Visa Info reported.
Immediately after the countries of the European Union and the Schengen zone decided to relax their Covid-19 entry restrictions for the summer, travelers from third countries who need a visa applied for one and took up the available places. Therefore, due to the high demand, places are unlikely to be vacated en masse until mid-September.
Tourism sector experts reported that there are currently no vacancies for July and August in 26 countries of the Schengen zone. A few countries may still have available slots for August. However, others have no vacancies until September. The visa issue has arisen due to embassies not being able to meet the high demand due to the fixed number of visas they can issue.
Since visa procedures will be closed until mid-September, travel companies note that many travelers from third countries are considering other travel destinations such as Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Egypt, and Turkey. Thus, Europe may see fewer tourists needing a visa this year as they choose other destinations to avoid visa hurdles.
In previous months, embassies took too long to process visa applications. However, this is not the case for most as they have hired additional staff. In general, visa applications are processed and answered quickly – within 15 working days.
Reference: A Schengen visa is a short-term visa that allows a traveler to enter any Schengen country for up to 90 days for tourism or business purposes. All persons who are citizens of a country that has not reached an agreement on visa liberalization or a similar agreement with Schengen countries must obtain a visa before traveling to the EU. Depending on the reason for the trip, a person can apply for different types of visas.
Those who plan a trip to the EU for tourist purposes must apply for a tourist visa. A tourist visa allows citizens of third countries to enter the Schengen area for a maximum of 90 days within six months.