The Schengen Visa Experience Is Pure Stress and Discrimination
Every time many of us apply for a Schengen visa, we go through the same cycle of stress, disrespect, uncertainty, and unnecessary expense.
At what point do travellers finally say enough is enough?
The Schengen visa process has become one of the most frustrating travel experiences for ordinary people, especially for applicants from countries like India.
First, getting an appointment itself feels impossible.
No slots are available for weeks or months — yet somehow travel agents can magically get appointments within a day. Everyone knows what is happening. A visa mafia has been created around VFS and BLS where ordinary applicants suffer while middlemen profit.
Then comes the mountain of documents.
Even if you already have previous Schengen visas, strong travel history, stable employment, and financial records, you still need to repeatedly submit:
- Passport copies
- Old passports
- Bank statements
- Salary slips
- Income tax returns
- Employment letters
- Leave approvals
- Flight bookings
- Hotel bookings
- Insurance
- Cover letters
- Detailed itineraries
- Proof of funds
- Photos with exact specifications
- Address proof
- Marriage certificates in some cases
- Business documents for self-employed applicants
And despite all this, the agencies still create random rules that are not even mentioned clearly in official checklists.
For example:
Applicants are suddenly told during submission that flight and hotel bookings must be at least 21 days away from the visa appointment date.
Why is this not clearly enforced when the application is first filled out? They already know our travel dates from the application form itself. Instead, they wait until submission day to reject documents and tell people to get another appointment — which could take months.
Meanwhile, our travel plans collapse:
- Flights become expensive
- Hotels get cancelled
- Leave approvals get affected
- Family plans get disrupted
But none of this affects VFS, BLS, or the embassies.
And after all this humiliation, we still pay heavily:
- Travel agent fees
- VFS/BLS service fees
- Visa fees
- Courier fees
- SMS fees
- Premium lounge fees
- Printing fees
- Insurance costs
Yet even after paying so much, Schengen still does not have a transparent visa-duration system like many other countries.
You cannot simply apply for:
- a 1-year visa,
- 3-year visa,
- or 6 month visa and pay accordingly.
Instead, you apply and hope for the best. One person gets 15 days. Another gets 2 months. Another gets 6 months. Another gets 2 years.
It feels less like a rules-based system and more like a lucky draw entirely dependent on embassy discretion.
At some point, travellers need to stop rewarding this system with our money.
Europe has many beautiful countries outside the Schengen system that deserve more tourism and respect:
- Albania
- Serbia
- Montenegro
- Bosnia & Herzegovina
- North Macedonia
- Georgia
- Armenia
- Turkey
- Azerbaijan
- United Kingdom
- Ireland
Many of these countries are affordable, welcoming, scenic, culturally rich, and far less stressful to visit.
Maybe the only way things improve is if travellers collectively choose dignity over inconvenience and stop supporting a system that treats genuine tourists like suspects.
We work hard for our money. We should not have to beg for basic travel access while being treated with disrespect throughout the process.