Indian travellers hoping to escape summer heat face passport, visa woes
- Visa delays amid a post-pandemic travel surge are prompting Indian citizens to cancel their overseas summer plans, visit closer Asian countries
- Consulates and embassies in India, operating on lean manpower, have been slow to process visas or provide clarity on process
Avid travellers and Chennai-based couple Alpana and Mahesh Sharma were excited when leisure travel restarted after two years of pandemic limitations and planned a summer holiday to Greek cities Athens, Mykonos and Santorini, with another couple.
But they failed to get a response even two days before their departure dates. Consulate hotlines did not help and the couple ended up cancelling the trip.
“After two months from submission we finally got our visas, but our friends who had applied with us just got a communication to reapply without stating any reasons for not getting a visa. It’s August and they have still not heard from the consulate, after they reapplied. It’s very sad that this is the state of things for a simple Schengen visa,” Sharma said.
A torrid summer for travel
Summer is a popular travel period for Indians looking to escape the heat and to spend time with their children during the school holidays.
But travel this summer has been chaotic, as travellers eager to go on post-pandemic trips overwhelm travel agencies, consulates and airports.
Many embassies and consulates sent employees back home when demand was minimal during the pandemic, keeping only a lean workforce. This lack of staffing, compounded with the overwhelming volume of applications, prompted some embassies such as Denmark and the Netherlands to temporarily stop accepting applications.
