Schengen Visa Applicants Show Frustration with the Numerous Required Documents

The number of documents needed to apply for a Schengen Visa continues to anger citizens of third countries under the visa regime of the European Union.

Ujjavala Bothra is an Indian citizen who shared on Twitter her frustration at the amount of documentation required to apply for a Schengen Visa.

"The amount of paperwork for a Schengen visa is insane! Why is it so difficult to understand: 1. We are not interested in marrying your men, thank you. 2. We are actually adding to the GDP of your country!" she tweeted on 25 April, attaching a photo of the documents she had collected to apply.

She also criticised VFSGlobal - a specialist in technology and outsourcing services for governments and diplomatic missions around the world - to whom the majority of EU member countries outsourced their visa processing.

Bothra says she waited 2.5 hours to get an appointment. She also discovered during the application process that the document list on Norway's site is outdated.

"My turn, for an 11:30am appt, came at 2pm - what is the point of booking a slot?" She wrote on Twitter, adding that VFS charged her an additional 150Rs per page, which is around EUR1.66.

She added, "Soul crushing would be an understatement to describe my visa experience," at the end. She called for more competition with VFS Global to provide better service.

Bothra was not the only person to experience this, nor is India the only country in which visa applicants complain about the service and the number of documents they are required to submit every time they apply for a Schengen Visa.

Richard, another Twitter user from Manila, also shared on Twitter his experience in helping someone to apply for a Schengen Visa on May 3. Richard, an Australian, says that applying for a Schengen Visa is "the worst experience". He also adds that many procedures could be automated, if the government information were available digitally.

"At least with this being my... 5th time doing this I have a collected folder of things I need to provide," he mentioned, further expressing his dissatisfaction with the limited appointment slots.

Documents are required to apply for a Schengen Visa. These documents should be collected and submitted on the day of the appointment at the visa application center. The basic documents are the same, such as passport photocopies and older visa copies, valid health insurance for the entire trip, and proof of how the traveller intends to cover his or her expenses during the trip.

If you are applying for a Schengen business visa, then, among other things, you will be required to provide an invitation letter from the EU partner company, as well as the short description of your place of employment.

Source: schengenvisainfo.com