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Indian residents in the United Arab Emirates planning trips to Europe will experience more affordable airfares and faster processing times for Schengen visas, with waiting periods currently averaging two weeks or less, reported Schengen Visainfo.
According to Gulf News, the recent winter travel season saw a surge in UAE and GCC residents heading to European holiday destinations during the Christmas and New Year holidays.
A Schengen visa serves as an entry permit for short-term or temporary visits, granting individuals access to travel within the Schengen area, encompassing multiple European countries.
The Schengen area includes 23 of the 27 EU member countries, along with associated neighbors Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein.
While passport holders from the United Arab Emirates are not required to obtain visas, this exemption does not extend to foreign residents in the country. Foreigners residing in the UAE must apply for visas to travel to Schengen countries.
However, Schengen visa appointments from October to the end of December would take up to one or two months to be processed, which often discouraged travellers.
Presently, European embassies in the UAE have made available slots for bookings, allowing visas to be processed in under two weeks. This facilitates individuals who have already shown interest in visiting Europe to make travel plans more efficiently.
The changes come into effect as a response to the evolving cost of living and are designed to ensure that travellers have adequate financial resources to cover their expenses during their stay in Finland. These modifications aim to strike a balance between facilitating tourism and addressing the practical aspects of financial support for short-term visitors.
Kristi Gole, Executive Vice-President of Strategy at GHA, noted that Europe remains the top choice for UAE travellers in 2024, despite a 22 per cent increase in travel expenses. Travellers are willing to pay premium prices for the best experiences, and the optimism for a strong year in 2024 prevails, reported Schengen Visainfo.Recently, France announced plans to shift entirely to online procedures for 7,00,000 French Schengen Visas making it the first European country to issue digital Schengen visas to visitors for the upcoming Paris Olympics.
France began operations of the “Olympic Consulate” system from January 1, 2024 – dedicated to processing visa applications for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Last year, the European Union announced plans to turn the Schengen visa digital. In November, European Union foreign ministers adopted a change to shift the process of applying for visas to visit the Schengen area to an online platform. Once enforced, this will eliminate the need for visa applicants to obtain a sticker in their passport, streamlining the application process and doing away with consulate or service provider appointments.
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