Europe travel becomes more easier now with new rules set by European Union (EU).
Summer is the time when many Indians prefer visiting European countries. However, Indian travellers face issues with visa appointments to visit Schengen region. Post-pandemic, the situation became even worse. With the new rules, it is believed to ease the overall process. As per modified Schengen visa regime, Indian travellers can obtain a multi-year visa for up to five years.
In this article, we will discuss about essentials of seamless application and travel along with a short itinerary for your next Europe visit.
Countries with Schengen Agreement are known as Schengen area. These countries are: Germany, Austria, Finland, Belgium, Croatia, France, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Italy, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Norway, Latvia, Portugal, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Spain, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, Slovenia, and Switzerland. Basically, Schengen Visa is approved for specific purposes including tourism, business, or visiting family.
On April 22, the EU envoy to India, Ambassador Herve Delphin announced in a post on X: “Travel to Europe made easy! The new #Schengen #visa regime gives Indian frequent travellers access to a multi-year visa (up to 5 years). Europe delivers on the partnership!”
As per new rule, “This new visa ‘cascade’ regime for Indian nationals residing in India who apply for Schengen (short-stay) visas in India will provide easier access to visas with multi-year validity for travellers with an established travel history if the passport validity allows.”
To promote people-to-people contact as well as strengthening international alliances, this move will play a key role.
Schengen Visa is provided for 9 reasons, they are: transit, tourism, visiting family, business, journalism, sports activities, official visits, study and medical procedure. Based on your demand, you can choose your Visa.
Once selecting the reason, you can book an appointment for interview. You need to show required documents during that time and pay the visa fee. The usual processing time is 2 weeks.
The standard fee for a Schengen visa is EUR 80 or USD 88. Meanwhile, the fee for children aged between 6 and 12 years is EUR 40 or USD 44.
The required documents are Visa application form, recent photographs, valid passport, itinerary, travel insurance policy, proof of accomodation, proof of financial support, and employment documents. For students, proof of enrollment is a must. For kids, parents need to produce birth certificate.
Let's be honest. It's tough to cover all 29 countries within 90 days. Thus, it's better to focus on at least 10-15 countries to travel in three months. Meanwhile, the routes are many. You can go for 90-day long cruise across France, Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Poland through Baltic sea. Otherwise, you can choose Atlantic coast to visit UK, France, Portugal, Spain.
If you love to travel by train, here is another option for you.
Europe’s Good Night Train, a brand new venture by European Sleeper will take you through four countries and three cities. Apart from that, there are numerous overnight trains which can take you through Austria, Germany, Italy, Belgium, France, and Switzerland.
On suggetion, don't oversleep! You may miss some of the breathtaking locations.
Your longtime dream of visiting Europe is going to materialize soon!
