Starting to make appointments now may only lead to Christmas? Visa appointment for popular European and American countries is difficult to obtain Schengen | Visa | Country
Previously, it was more than enough to apply for a Schengen visa one to two months in advance. In this year's situation, it is best to prepare at least three months in advance. "What to prepare? The earlier you schedule the visa date, the better. Especially for popular European and American countries, visa appointments are now difficult to obtain. According to interviews with reporters, the biggest challenge for tourists traveling abroad this summer is visas. For example, in Germany, the visa submission date that can be scheduled has already reached October or even November, and overall, the summer vacation and National Day holiday, which are two abundant travel schedules, have already passed. If you start booking visas now, perhaps you can only go to Christmas.".
Starting to arrange visas now, maybe we can only go to Christmas
The reporter attempted on the official Schengen visa appointment website in Germany last night, but the German visa application center in Shanghai directly prompted, "Sorry, there is currently no available appointment time. Please try again later."
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Then I tried the German visa application center in Beijing again, and the earliest available appointment date was September 12th. If a visa review period of more than 15 days is added, it is indeed difficult to catch up with the National Day holiday.
On third-party online booking platforms, travel agencies providing German visa services are more conservative, and the earliest departure date for Schengen tourist visas for Shanghai is December 16th.
The situation in other popular Schengen countries, such as France, Spain, Italy, etc., is similar to that of Germany, and the dates for booking and submitting signatures are generally after September. That is to say, tourists planning to apply for visas from these countries during the summer vacation will actually start booking visas in April of this year, at the latest in May.
Another popular summer destination for outbound travel is the United States, and current bookings have been directly postponed to November and December. The data displayed on the Shanghai visa appointment website of the US Consulate this morning shows that the waiting time for B1/B2 tourist visas is 128 days, which is over 4 months.
So, if you only realize this month that you need to apply for a visa to go to popular tourist destinations in Europe and America, by the time the visa is obtained, it's basically Christmas and New Year's Day.
Due to the difficulty in making visa appointments in popular European and American countries, according to data from Ctrip, short-term travel is the main mode of summer outbound travel, with Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and Malaysia being the top five popular destinations for summer visa applications. As for long-distance travel, the countries with more visa applications are Australia and the United Kingdom.
Picking up leaks relies entirely on luck, and applying for a "curve" application carries risks
These days, the Jiushi Business Building on Sichuan Middle Road has been particularly busy. The vast majority of visas from European countries in Shanghai are processed at the VFS Global Visa Application Center here.
Although many people queue up early and wait until the afternoon to finish, they are actually lucky enough to be able to catch up on summer outings.
Miss Ma, who came to apply for a German tourist visa, has been taking action since the beginning of the year. "I made an appointment online in March and managed to secure a spot at the end of June to submit the visa. It's really wise!"
What should I do if I cannot make an appointment through conventional methods and am in a hurry to travel? Mr. Zhang, who submitted a Schengen visa to the Netherlands, said, "I try to browse as much as possible on the appointment website. Sometimes, if someone cancels or reschedules their original appointment, you may be able to catch up. When I first made an appointment until August, I kept browsing the website and found a spot for June."
The reporter also found this afternoon's leak detection number on the official website of the Schengen visa appointment in Switzerland last night, otherwise all other appointment times would have been after August.
Of course, there is too much uncertainty in picking up leaks. And not only are there people who haven't made an appointment, but also many people like Mr. Zhang who have already made an appointment but hope to get a date earlier. Since it's impossible to spend 24 hours online browsing, it's all about luck and character building.
Another approach is to choose less popular Schengen countries. For example, last night on the official website of the VFS Global Visa Application Center, Hungary and Norway both showed availability for appointments in early July.
The most favored option in the "Curve" application is Sweden, as Sweden's short-term Schengen visa in Shanghai does not require an appointment. You can directly queue up at the visa application center with the necessary documents ready.
However, due to the principle that Schengen visa applications must be based on the submitted itinerary and applied to the country with the longest stay; In cases where the main country of stay cannot be determined, a visa for the first country of entry can be applied for. Therefore, such a "curve" application also carries certain risks. If the visa issuing country is not your first place of entry, or if the itinerary is mainly in other popular countries, there is a possibility of visa refusal, or obtaining a visa may also result in being denied entry.
In addition, the reporter also learned about the urgent services provided by some travel agencies. On third-party platforms, although there are some expedited visa services for popular Schengen countries, it is also stated that the visa will be issued within about 20 working days after receiving all the documents, which means that the application in early July can catch up with the trip in August. However, when asked specifically, customer service representatives stated, "Due to the difficulty of booking at the visa center, the actual booking time is based on the final booking location information. The current waiting time for booking is for reference only."
A travel agency that promotes Schengen visa urgent service through WeChat official account, when asked, said that popular destinations such as France and Spain can no longer be expedited, and Germany may still have the opportunity to swipe its account. But they also admit that this is the same as the customer's own online account scanning and error detection, and ultimately suggest using the method of signing other Schengen countries for "curve" applications.
DIY on your own or seek assistance from a travel agency to handle it
Although online and offline travel agencies are struggling with the European and American visas for this summer, they have also seen a good momentum in the recovery of outbound travel and are starting to plan ahead.
For example, Ctrip recently opened its store in the Jiushi Business Building, which is located in the same building as the VFS Global Visa Application Center in Shanghai. Store manager Wu Jueling said that this is the only tourist store in China that is located next to the visa application center. They hope to combine their geographical advantages to bring customers a better and more convenient experience. "Visa materials for European countries are relatively complex, and we can better cope with unexpected situations, such as supplementing materials, taking photos, copying, etc. The equipment in this area is very complete."
Unlike some countries such as Japan that require visa applications to go through travel agencies, visa tourists from European and American countries can fully prepare their own documents and submit their visas. Therefore, whether to DIY on your own or purchase visa services from travel agencies has always been a hot topic of discussion.
The biggest difference between DIY and travel agency agency agency is in filling out various forms and preparing application materials. One is that one does not spend money, but studies, prepares, and confirms on their own; One is the fee, and the travel agency can assist and check.
Both of these methods have been experienced by the journalist himself, and the Spanish visa is DIY for himself. Everything went smoothly and the visa was issued smoothly. French and British visas are handled by travel agencies. Actually, it mainly depends on whether there is time and energy. As long as the English is good, the people are careful enough, and the materials are prepared according to official requirements, and then the guide is found, self-service processing is completely no problem.
If time and energy are limited, or if you are afraid of trouble, a travel agency agency agency is also a choice. For example, the UK is a country where all visa documents require an English translation, even including a full household registration book. At that time, the three people traveling were in two household registration books, and in order to translate more professionally, the reporter handed them over to the travel agency for handling.
Li Hong, the visa business manager of Ctrip, said that many customers do entrust their visas to them for reasons such as cumbersome materials or difficult translation. He also believes that travel agencies must have certain advantages in terms of understanding and updating various information from consulates and visa application centers.
The visa service fee for travel agencies is generally around 500 yuan, and the choice varies from person to person.
Mr. Xie, who often travels abroad, said, "Compared to the overall cost of traveling, this price is still acceptable. I am lazy, so when applying for a visa, I always look for a travel agency."
Ms. Shen, a travel expert, is completely the opposite. As a full-time wife, she particularly enjoys DIY and personally handles all aspects of the trip. She said, "I feel a sense of accomplishment when I apply for a visa myself. And the five of us actually saved a lot of money by DIY."
