The Swedish Embassy in Dhaka has warned all Bangladeshi passport holders applying for Schengen visas that they will face consequences if they do not submit original documents with their application.
This warning was issued by the Embassy of Sweden on its social media platforms. The Embassy said that the submission of falsified, fraudulent, or manipulated documents will lead to immediate visa refusal, Schengen.News reports.
The Embassy further warned that it would notify the other Schengen member states of the circumstances in which the non-original documents were submitted.
This means that the individuals who submit fake documents in their applications for a Swedish Schengen visa will be known by the other member states, and they could face difficulties when trying to obtain visas from other countries if they have already broken the rules.
Make sure you only submit original documents with your visa application. Fraudulent, falsified, or manipulated documents will result in immediate refusal. Furthermore, the circumstance that you submit non-original documents will be known by all Schengen states.
Passport Holders of Bangladesh Submitted Over 39,700 Schengen Visa Applications in 2023
Nationals of Bangladesh submit a high number of Schengen visa applications every year. Statistics published by SchengenVisaInfo show that in 2023, Bangladeshi passport holders filed a total of 39,729 Schengen visa applications.
However, not everyone received a positive response, with the non-issued rate standing at 43.3 per cent.
Taking into account this rate, it means that 22,205 Bangladeshis were granted a Schengen visa, and 17,015 of them had their applications rejected in 2023.
As for Sweden alone, the country received 11,416 applications for Bangladeshi visa applicants in 2023. Sweden approved 6,363 Schengen visa applications and denied 4,793 of them.
Bangladesh’s Home Adviser Urges EU to Open a Visa Application Centre in Dhaka
Nationals of Bangladesh currently need to travel to the neighbouring countries in order to apply for Schengen visas.
Taking into consideration the long travel hours and the financial constraints, the Home Adviser of Bangladesh, Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, has called on the EU the open a visa application centre in Dhaka.
The Home Adviser said that a visa centre in which Bangladeshis can file their Schengen visa applications would be much appreciated. The same stressed that the country is willing to work together with the EU authorities to reach an agreement on the matter.