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Schengen visa processing time in India, country by country
By the DummyTicketDesk desk · Reviewed 22 October 2026
THE QUICK ANSWER
The EU standard is a decision within 15 calendar days, which can be extended to 45 days in individual cases. Consulates in India publish their own figures: Switzerland says 7 to 10 calendar days, Germany 15 working days from the file’s arrival at the visa section, Iceland asks you to allow at least 21 days, and Croatia works on 45 calendar days. You can apply up to six months ahead and no later than 15 days before you travel.
The EU rule
The Visa Code sets the frame for all 29 countries. You may apply no earlier than six months before the trip and no later than 15 calendar days before it; seafarers may apply up to nine months ahead. The consulate should decide within 15 calendar days, a period that “can be extended to up to 45 days” in individual cases, for example when it needs further scrutiny or extra documents.
Three things make the real wait longer than the headline. Many consulates count working days, not calendar days. The clock usually starts when the file reaches the consulate, not when you hand it in at VFS Global or BLS International. And the appointment itself can be weeks away in peak season.
What each consulate in India states
The figures below come from each country’s own embassy or application-centre pages, as checked in October 2026. No country-specific figure could be confirmed for Estonia, Greece or Romania, so plan on the EU standard for them and check the current page.
| Country | Stated processing time | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Austria | Up to 15 working days, extendable to 45 calendar days | Files arriving less than 15 working days before travel are returned; apply at least a month ahead |
| Belgium | 15 working days, up to 30 calendar days, exceptionally 60 | Referred files are decided by the Immigration Office in Brussels |
| Bulgaria | Up to 15 calendar days, extendable to 30 or 60 | Status queries only after the processing time has passed |
| Croatia | 45 calendar days | Applications with less than 45 days to travel are not accepted |
| Czechia | Normally up to 15 calendar days, at most 45 | The file must reach the embassy 15 days before travel; apply at least 3 weeks ahead |
| Denmark | Within 15 days of the embassy receiving the file | Time at VFS is not included; missing papers are due within 3 days |
| Finland | Up to 15 working days, or 20 for groups of more than 15 | Can be extended to 30 days in high season |
| France | No France-specific figure confirmed | The embassy says location, season and slot availability can lengthen the process |
| Germany | 15 working days from arrival at the visa section | Files can take up to 6 working days to reach Mumbai; VFS needs up to 2 working days to return the passport |
| Hungary | 15 calendar days | Originals are shown at a personal interview with the visa officer |
| Iceland | Allow at least 21 days | Not counting VFS transit, though the page also mentions 15 calendar days as usual |
| Italy | 15 working days, extendable to 45 (New Delhi); a minimum of 15 working days (Mumbai) | VFS asks for applications between 15 and 180 working days before departure |
| Latvia | Up to 10 working days | Apply at least 2 weeks ahead; documents clear Hello Verify before you can book |
| Liechtenstein | As Switzerland | Applications go through the Swiss network in India |
| Lithuania | Within 15 calendar days of arrival at the embassy, up to 30 | Apply no later than 15 working days before travel |
| Luxembourg | Should not exceed 15 calendar days, up to 45 | Files lodged less than 15 calendar days before travel may be returned |
| Malta | Up to three weeks | Particularly for files from Indian states outside Delhi |
| Netherlands | Average 15 calendar days, maximum 45 | Contact VFS only after 30 calendar days |
| Norway | 15 days, extendable to 45 | Business visas normally within 7 days |
| Poland | 15 calendar days, extendable to 45 | Satellite centres add 48 to 72 hours of transit |
| Portugal | Within 15 calendar days of the file being admissible, up to 45 | Accepted only until 15 working days before travel; apply a month ahead |
| Slovakia | 15 working days | Transit time is not counted |
| Slovenia | Up to 15 calendar days | You cannot apply to another Schengen state while the application is pending |
| Spain | 15 calendar days (reported) | BLS sends files the next working day, or 2 to 4 days from non-metro centres |
| Sweden | 15 calendar days from arrival at the embassy | Two more days for files from outside New Delhi |
| Switzerland | 7 to 10 calendar days after submission | All decided in New Delhi; VFS says usually 10 working days |
Time before the clock starts
Processing time is only the middle of the wait. Before it comes the appointment, and some countries release slots on a fixed rhythm. Belgium’s VFS page says new slots are released on the first Monday of each month for the following month (East and North zone), and Czechia releases them on the second Monday. German missions warn that demand is high and their appointments are quickly booked out.
Some countries add steps before you can even book. Latvia requires Indian applicants to clear document verification on Hello Verify first. Denmark’s form and fee are completed online at applyvisa.um.dk, Finland’s form at finlandvisa.fi, and Norway’s on its Application Portal. Poland asks for its online form to be filled in no more than five days before the appointment.
After submission comes transit. Spain’s BLS centres send files on the next working day, two to four days from non-metro centres. Poland’s satellite centres add 48 to 72 hours, Sweden adds two days for files from outside New Delhi, and German files from every centre in India travel to the Consulate General in Mumbai.
Minimum lead times consulates enforce
The EU’s 15-day minimum is a floor, and several consulates in India set a higher one. Submitting too late does not just risk a late decision: the file may be returned unprocessed.
- Croatia does not accept applications with less than 45 days to go before travel.
- Austria returns files that arrive less than 15 working days before the travel date and advises applying at least one month ahead.
- Portugal accepts applications only until 15 working days before travel, excluding VFS handling time, and advises a month.
- Luxembourg may treat applications lodged less than 15 calendar days before travel as inadmissible.
- Spain’s Mumbai-jurisdiction centres take files only when the travel date is more than 15 calendar days after submission.
- Czechia wants the file at the embassy 15 days before travel and suggests applying three weeks ahead; Latvia suggests two weeks.
Planning backwards from your travel date
Work back from the day you fly, using your country’s figures rather than the EU headline. Here is a plan for a trip departing on 20 May to a country that states 15 working days.
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| From 20 November, six months before | The earliest date you can apply. Check how far ahead the appointment calendar is open. |
| Late February to March | Book the appointment, aiming to submit six to eight weeks before departure. Ask any host for invitations or national forms now. |
| Two to three weeks before the appointment | Bank statements, income tax returns, leave letter, insurance and photos ready. |
| Appointment day | Order the flight reservation and hotel bookings that morning, check them, and submit. |
| Three to four weeks after submission | The time to allow for a 15-working-day country once transit and the return of the passport are added. |
| After the visa | Read the validity dates on the visa sticker and keep the whole journey inside them. |
Tracking and when to chase
Most consulates ask you not to chase before the stated time. NetherlandsWorldwide asks applicants to “avoid contacting NetherlandsWorldwide or the Embassy”, to use track and trace, and to contact VFS only after 30 calendar days. Bulgaria answers status queries only once the processing time has passed.
Respond fast if the consulate asks for something. Denmark gives you three days to supply missing documents, after which the case is decided as it stands. For France, silence matters: no answer to a visa application within two months counts as a refusal.
When to order the flight reservation and hotel
A long processing time is no reason to order the reservations early. The airline sets how long an unpaid hold lasts, and it varies, so a flight reservation made when you book the appointment is likely to have lapsed by the time you submit. Order it on the morning of the appointment, or the evening before at the latest, and check it when it arrives.
It does not need to survive the processing period. The consulate assesses a file whose bookings were genuine and consistent on the day you handed them in.
Delivery is usually within 30 minutes during office hours, Mon–Sat 10:00–18:00 IST, so a morning order fits an afternoon slot. A flight reservation is ₹708 incl. GST for the first traveller, and a hotel booking ₹590 incl. GST per hotel.
Flight reservation for Switzerland visa
Dummy ticket (flight reservation): ₹708 incl. GST. Delivery: usually within 30 minutes during office hours, Mon–Sat 10:00–18:00 IST.
Reserve nowQuestions people ask
Does the 15-day processing time include weekends?
It depends on the country. The EU standard counts calendar days, and Czechia, Hungary, Sweden, Slovenia and the Netherlands quote calendar days. Germany, Austria, Belgium, Finland, Italy and Slovakia quote working days, which adds weekends and public holidays to the wait.
Can I pay for a faster Schengen decision?
None of the official pages checked for this guide offers a paid express decision for a tourist visa. Some business routes are quicker: Norway normally processes business visas within seven days, and Denmark’s Red Carpet scheme lets business applicants walk in without an appointment. Otherwise, apply early.
How early can I apply?
Up to six months before the trip, or nine months for seafarers. Applying early helps in peak season, when appointments are scarce, but the reservations in your file should still be made for your submission day, not for the day you book the slot.
Why does Croatia take 45 days?
Croatia’s VFS page gives 45 calendar days as its standard processing time and does not accept applications with less than 45 days left before travel. If Croatia is your main destination, start at least two months before departure so the appointment and transit fit too.
My decision is late and my flight is next week. What should I do?
Check the tracking service first, then contact the application centre or consulate in the way its page allows. If the consulate has asked for extra documents, send them at once; Denmark, for example, allows only three days.
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Flight reservation ₹708 incl. GST, extended hold ₹1,770 incl. GST, confirmed hotel booking ₹590 incl. GST. Delivery: usually within 30 minutes during office hours, Mon–Sat 10:00–18:00 IST.
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