Switzerland visas NOT suspended for Indian tour groups, clarifies Swiss Embassy

Are you planning a trip to Switzerland anytime soon? You should be prepared for some delays if you aren't planning months ahead. The good news is that the report stating that Switzerland has suspended Schengen visa appointments for Indian tour groups till October is NOT true. The bad news is that it may still take you till October to get your visa appointment. 

Press Statement:

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. pic.twitter.com/HtGs6OJbYr

— Embassy of Switzerland to India and Bhutan (@SwissEmbassyIND) August 3, 2023

• Even though visa appointments are not suspended, it seems like the slots for visa appointments are already booked through September including for 22 tour groups. 
• The Swiss Embassy also said that it has processed more visa applications in 2023 than it did in 2019. 

Tips

• The Swiss Embassy in India said that they have already started allowing travellers to apply for visas 6 months in advance.
• So, for Schengen visa applications, which are strict and are often followed by delays, it is better to get it done as soon as you have planned your travel. 
• In a relief to applicants, the Swiss Embassy also said that a decision will be given in 13 days after the application has been submitted. So, you can keep this timeline in mind while applying for a visa. 

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• You can also apply for a Schengen visa from one of the 27 countries in the bloc with a faster turnout. You will have to enter through the said country to be able to travel to Switzerland and elsewhere. 
• For example, if you want to travel to Italy, but a Schengen visa appointment from Italy is unavailable for several months, maybe you can try applying from Switzerland or Hungary which has a slot available. 

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