Majority of EU/Schengen Countries Reopen Their Visa Application Centres in India

Posted date: 22 Jul 2021

After over three months of being closed, the majority of Schengen Visa Application centres located in India will reopen, and resume accepting visa applications, though not all of them will be fully operating.

The reopening of the centres has been announced on August 6, 2020, by VFS Global, which is an outsourcing and technology services company that serves governments and diplomatic missions worldwide, and to which most EU countries have outsourced visa services in several world countries.

Among the Schengen and EU Member States that will reopen their visa centres in India are Denmark, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Switzerland, Norway, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Portugal, etc. At the same time, in South Mumbai, the Belgium Visa Application Centre will resume accepting long-stay D visas and seafarer (short-stay C visa) applications every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 AM to 2 PM.

Croatia, which is the sole EU country that has reopened its borders to all third-country nationals who can prove their purpose of entry, has resumed accepting exceptional case applications at its Visa Application Centre in Bengaluru. Whereas its Application Centres in Chennai and Hyderabad are only accepting limited long-stay category applications.

Swiss authorities have also reopened their Visa Application Centres in Bengaluru and Kochi, where they are accepting only exceptional case and limited long-stay category applications respectively. The centres located in Chennai and Hyderabad are already accepting limited long-stay category applications. Applications can now be submitted at the Portugal Visa Application Centre in Chennai for holders of expired Portuguese residence cards, and for holders of expired Family Reunification visas.

Student and other long-stay visa applications can also be submitted at the Irish Visa Application Centres in Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kochi, Hyderabad, New Delhi, Jalandhar, Chandigarh and Kolkata. As per UK visa, the UK Visas and Immigration has begun a phased resumption of services at Visa Application Centres in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru (Global Tech Park only), Chennai, Chandigarh, Jalandhar, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai (Mahalaxmi only), New Delhi (Shivaji Metro Stadium only), and Pune

Posted By

GSP Admin