The assertion comes amid reviews of such visa appointments being suspended till October.

New Delhi:

The Swiss embassy stated right this moment that it has not suspended Schengen visa appointments for Indian tour teams and that people-to-people contact is on the core of the Swiss-Indian relationship. The assertion comes amid reviews of such visa appointments being suspended till October. 

The Embassy of Switzerland in India additionally emphasised that it has surpassed its pre-pandemic visa processing degree. 

A press release issued by the embassy stated, “The Embassy of Switzerland in India has not suspended Schengen visa appointments for Indian tour groups. We have almost 800 daily appointments through the end of September 2023. These include 22 groups.”

Press Statement:

The Embassy of Switzerland in India has not suspended Schengen visa appointments for Indian tour teams. We have nearly 800 day by day appointments via the top of September 2023. These embrace 22 teams. pic.twitter.com/HtGs6OJbYr

— Embassy of Switzerland to India and Bhutan (@SwissEmbassyIND) August 3, 2023

“People-to-people contact is at the core of the Swiss-Indian relationship. In 2023, the Embassy of Switzerland in India has processed more visa applications than it did in 2019. We have surpassed our pre-pandemic times processing level. From January until June, we handled 129,446 applications, as against 120,071 during the same period in 2019 – a 7.8% increase,” it added. 

The embassy highlighted that it has carried out a collection of measures because the starting of 2023 to make the visa software course of simpler for Indians.

It stated it’s now attainable for Indians to use for his or her visa six months earlier than their date of journey, as towards one month previously. Someone wishing to journey in June can, thus, apply for a visa in January.

The embassy said {that a} new visa software centre has been opened in Lucknow this 12 months, taking the overall variety of such centres in India to 13. 

“Currently, it takes no more than 13 working days between the appointment by our partner VFS and the Embassy’s decision on the application,” the assertion stated.