Spain & Slovakia Agree to Grant Gratis Visas to Indians with Unused Schengen Visas Amid COVID-19

Posted date: 22 Jul 2021

Indians wishing to apply for a Schengen Visa to Europe, whose previous visa has expired without being used due to the Coronavirus pandemic, will be eligible to apply for a new one free of charge, as soon as the Embassies and borders reopen.

The decision has been announced by the Outbound Tour Operators’ Association of India (OTOAI), which has asked all embassies of European countries located in India, to issue gratis visas to all those who have not used their Schengen visa due to the situation created amid the virus outbreak. The Embassy of Spain also confirmed the decision, pointing out that applications can be filed only through the BLS, which is a visa processing company to which Spain has outsourced visa processing.

According to a notice published on BLS’s website for India, applicants whose visa validity has not started can also change the visa validity period. They will need to submit their passport and a new flight reservation. “For those applicants whose visa validity has already started, fresh application with complete documentation. In both cases, the visa fees of the Consulate are exempted, applicants will have to bear the necessary BLS service charges,” the notice explains.

Few embassies have previously taken the same approach to visa issuance for holders of unused visas due to pandemic.  The Italian Embassy in Armenia decided in March to re-issue visas free of charge to applicants who could not use their Schengen visa due to the situation created by the coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19).

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GSP Admin