Indian passport holders spent Rs 54 crore on German Schengen visa in 2022

According to recent data from SchengenVisaInfo, Indians applying for Schengen visas to Germany in 2022 spent over €6.1 million (Rs 54.4 crore approx) in visa application fees. The Mumbai consulate accounted for the highest amount spent, reaching €4.4 million (Rs 40 crore approx). Likewise, the Mumbai consulate also marked the highest number of rejections last year.

With India ranking third in terms of total Schengen visa applicants to Germany, it is evident that the visa holds significance for Indian travellers, making it crucial to explore the details the report throws light on.

The Schengen visa is the common visa for Europe. It allows individuals to enter, freely journey within, and leave the Schengen zone from any of the Schengen member nations. Border controls are absent within the Schengen Zone. The Schengen visas cover 26 European countries following a common legal framework.

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Application fees

• In 2022, a total of 76,352 Indians applied for the Schengen visa to the German Embassy.
• The application fee for an adult is €80, whereas a child below 12 years has to pay €40, resulting in a combined expenditure of more than €6.1 million (Rs 54,45,71,044).
• Among the consulates, the Mumbai consulate topped the list, with applicants spending a total of €4.4 million.
• Following closely were the New Delhi and Bangalore consulates, where applicants spent approximately €1.1 million (Rs 9,81,99,290) and €508,000 (Rs 4,53,48,550), respectively.

Consulate-specific

• The Mumbai consulate recorded the highest number of applicants, with a total of 13,341 individuals applying for a Schengen visa to Germany.
• However, it also experienced a significant number of rejections, as 7,335 visas were not issued, resulting in expenses of €586,800 (Rs 5.23 crore approx).
• The New Delhi consulate witnessed 1,519 rejected applications, amounting to a loss of €121,520 (Rs 1.08 crore approx).
• In Bengaluru, 13 visas were not issued, incurring a puny loss of €1,040 (Rs. 92,000 approx).
• Additionally, the Kolkata and Chennai consulates saw three and five rejections, amounting to losses of €240 and €400, respectively.

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India's position

• India ranks as the third country with the highest number of applicants for Schengen visas.
• In total, 6,71,928 applications were filed, amounting to €53.7 million (Rs 487.3 crore) in visa fees.
• Russian and Turkish applicants hold the top two positions, with 6,87,239 and 7,78,409 applications, respectively.
• Russian applicants spent €54.9 million in visa application fees, while Turkish applicants spent €62.2 million.

Transit visa applications

• A total of 167 applications for airport transit visas (ATVs) were received across various consulates in India.
• The Bangalore consulate received 24 applications, while Mumbai and New Delhi recorded 122 and 20 applications, respectively. Chennai had only one application.
• The ATVs had a high acceptance rate, except at the Mumbai and New Delhi consulates, where the non-issuance rate stood at 16.7% and 25%, respectively.

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(Note: An earlier version of this story mentioned the total number of visa applications from India as 76,352. However, that number was just from the applications to the German embassy. The total number of visa applications from India in 2022 was 6,71,928. The numbers have been corrected.)