EU Representative Recognizes Difficulties Indians Face with Schengen Visa Process

Main Points:

1. Ewa Suwara, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to India, has admitted that Indians face difficulties when applying for Schengen visas.

2. One of the biggest problems is that the EU doesn’t have a single, central visa system—each country handles its own visas.

3. To help, the EU started a new “cascade” visa system in 2024 that makes it easier for frequent Indian travellers to get longer visas.

EU Official Admits Schengen Visa Process Is Difficult for Indians

Ewa Suwara, the Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to India, has said that it’s still hard for Indian citizens to get Schengen visas, whether for short visits or long-term work.

Even though the EU and India are trying to make the visa process easier, one key problem is that Indians must apply to each EU country separately. Since there’s no central EU visa system, the process can be confusing and frustrating.

“One major challenge is that visa applications must be made to individual EU member states. There is no centralised EU visa process. This complexity can be frustrating for Indian applicants,”
— Ewa Suwara

Suwara also said that the EU is working with Indian officials to improve the process overall. She added that 2025 will be the “EU-India Year”, a time when both sides want to build a stronger partnership and show that Indian people are welcome in Europe.

“We need each other and can benefit from working together. Simplifying the visa process takes time and discussion,”
— Ewa Suwara

New Visa Rules Introduced in 2024 to Help Indian Travellers

To make things easier, in 2024 the EU introduced a new visa system called the “cascade” regime. This allows Indians who’ve already travelled to the Schengen Area before to get multiple-entry visas valid for up to 2 years. After that, they may qualify for 5-year visas, as long as their passports are still valid for that time.

However, Indians who haven’t travelled to Europe much before still get shorter-term visas.

Despite these improvements, many Indian applicants say it’s hard to book appointments due to high demand. Some have also complained that brokers are booking visa slots and reselling them illegally for high prices.

While the EU can’t control black market brokers, it remains to be seen if they will take steps to reduce long waiting times and improve appointment availability.