Why Kenyans will have to wait much longer for Schengen visa appointments
If you want to travel to Schengen area countries and need a visa you might have to cancel or change your travel plans as there are no available appointments until September. Because of a high demand, individuals who have not applied for the visa will not be able to get a slot till mid-September 2022.
Executives of the travel industry have said that no slots for July and August are available for the 26 Schengen Area countries. This has been attributed to increased travel from non-European Union and third countries following the easing of Covid-19 restrictions.
“Immediately after the European Union/Schengen Area countries decided to ease their Covid entry restrictions for the summer, third country travellers who needed a visa to enter the EU/Schengen Area applied for one,” SchengenVisaInfo.com said in a statement.
“However, due to the high demand, those who have not applied yet will most likely be unable to find available appointments until mid-September.”
They explained that this is happening with the embassies are unable to meet the high demand due to the fixed number of visas they can issue.
A Schengen visa is a short-stay visa that permits a person to enter any Schengen Area country for a period of up to 90 days for tourism or business purposes.
All persons who are nationals of a country that has not reached a visa-liberalization or a similar agreement with the Schengen Area countries must obtain a visa before travelling to the EU. Depending on the reason for the trip, a person can apply for different types of visas.
This comes as Kenyan citizens have raised questions about the country’s diplomatic ties with other nations regarding the problems they face trying to get visas to travel abroad, with some are urging the government to make the process smoother.