The 400-page Schengen visa application of an Indian entrepreneur has sparked debate among netizens, raising a question of how strong the Indian passport is and the benefits it brings to its holders.
Kapil Dhama, founder and CEO of Options 360, shared on his social media an image of a stack of 400 pages, which, according to him, includes all the documents needed to obtain a Schengen visa, Schengen.News reports.
Almost 400-page application for a Schengen visa. Real power of a passport.
Nationals of countries that do not have a visa liberalisation agreement with the Schengen Area have to apply for a Schengen visa to gain entry to the 29-country bloc. Indian passport holders are among those who need a visa to enter any of the Member states, and they even represent one of the top nationalities that file the most visa applications every year.
400-Page Applications for a Schengen Visa? Some Say It Is a Sham
Many shared similar experiences to Dharma’s on the comment section, while others called it a “sham”, saying that bank statements, which usually add most volume to the application for a Schengen visa, are not necessary.
Everyone who shows these bundles won’t tell you 90-95 per cent of these are just bank statements of the last six months (useless activity). Thanks to UPI, everyone has a very large number of transactions.
Others said that they had obtained a multiple-five-year Schengen visa in the Netherlands with a ten-page application, while many other people confessed that, in their experience, applications were processed with fewer pages, usually about 30.
Austria’s physical application form and supporting documents totalled 25 pages. 400 is a sham!
According to statistics published by SchengenVisaInfoIndia was the third-largest country of visa applications filed in 2023, falling behind Turkiye and China. In total, Indians filed 966,687 visa applications, many of which were filed to Switzerland, France and Germany.
Indian Passport Is the 132nd Strongest Passport in the World, Out of 199
The Indian passport grants visa-free entry to a total of 31 countries, resulting in a passport score of 23.99. In another three countries, Indian passport holders can enter the country with an Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA), while they are exempted from presenting a passport entering two countries in the world.
According to VisaGuide Passport Indexa visa is required for Indians travelling to 124 countries, while to enter 25 countries, a visa-on-arrival is mandatory. With an e-visa, Indians can enter a total of 41 countries.