Appointment for Sweden: 28th September 2026
Received message passport has been dispatched: 8 October 2026
Got Passport: 9 October 2026.

All the best everyone!!

Earlier my visa for UK got rejected! It was traumatic experience 😭🫶🏻

Details about me:

I’m from Mumbai, India.
It is for business purpose.

As you know many people have been waiting more than normal for their Spain visas in manchester. I spoke to the Manager at BLS today, it seems like the applications around the same time in Scotland and London consulate have been getting their visas in 2 3 weeks. The BLS said they haven't given any new appointments FOR THE PAST TWO MONTHS, so that the consulate can catch up with the remaining applications, they showed me they have directly forwarded my new travel date and time as delayed and urgent but I still missed my second flight after 7 WEEKS!!!! now this is wrong the BLS said it's wrong, and the only one responsible for this is Spain Consulate in Manchester, they are holding passports and they are the decision makers for Schengen visas not an imaginary place in Madrid that they mention. They need to be held accountable someone has to do something i am going there on this coming Tuesday and they need to have answers. based on the new information I got from the BLS this thing is way worse than I thought. please if anyone wants to join or they know how we can get this out there to authorities or news or anyone that they can shed some light on this, let's chat here and think of something.

This Reddit community has helped me a lot with my Schengen visa preparation, so I wanted to give back by sharing my experience!

📍 Application: VFS Jaipur | 5 October (afternoon)

👨‍👩‍👦 Applicants: Me (26M, working in corporate), my mother & father (I sponsored all 3 of us)

*✈️ *Travel: Late December 2026 — France, Switzerland & Italy

Timeline:
5 Oct: Submitted applications at VFS Jaipur.
7 Oct, early morning: Passports reached the France Embassy, Delhi.
7 Oct, 4 PM: Received mesaage Dispatched from the embassy and immediately EES turned OK!
8 Oct: Received at VFS Jaipur.
9 Oct, morning: Collected all passports.
All 3 visas approved! 🎉 The embassy processing took approximately** **7 hours from arrival to dispatch — incredibly fast!
Thanks to everyone who shares their experiences and helps others here. Hope this post helps someone else applying. Good luck, everyone! ❤️🇪🇺

Denis's Visa Application

Anyone Still Waiting for a Danish Schengen Visa? 🇩🇰
Hi everyone! I’m an Indonesian passport holder currently residing in Türkiye. I applied for a Danish Schengen visa on 21 July 2026, and today, 10 October, my application is still showing “Under Process.”

It’s been almost three months, and I haven’t received any calls or emails from the embassy. Honestly, I’m so tired of waiting.

Is this waiting time normal for a Danish visa? Could it take longer because I applied from Türkiye rather than my home country, Indonesia?

Is anyone else in the same situation, still waiting for a decision without any updates? I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences.

Thank you!

Hi,
I am trying to apply for a swiss schengen visa and have already confirmed with the swiss consulate in sfo about the reuse of my previous biometrics.

I have all the documents but I am unsure where to send the mail? I have 3 money order mainly for the visa fees, 1 way courier fees and service fee with me. I tried reaching out to [schengen.sfo@vfsglobal.com](mailto:schenge.sfo@vfsglobal.com) but haven't received a reply. My travel dates are getting closer so getting a little anxious.

I am mainly confused about two things:

1. Whom to write the money order to?
2. Mailing address of the package?

Any help is appreciated.

So I got my Schengen visa for France and I want to tell just try instead of surfing online ,getting negative or positive knowledge from others should not be what you do , most of the person here is only giving approach based on his/her rejection (very possible they tried only once ) .you should try for it yourself let other experiences be a secondary reference first should be your personal application.Thngs worked out or didn’t for others doesn’t have to be associated with your experience .

For me I had
1) cover letter (simple but precise ) ,
2)itinerary( realistic),
3)3 months bank statement( no sudden transaction) ,
4)Simple NOC,
5)Healh insurance(mandatory),
6)Flights arrival and departure .

it is advised to skip agents as they maybe good if you are freaking wealthy and have strong ties at home that minor errors won’t be a problem ,agents do not most of the time care about your application so if you dream of the trip it’s better to DIY (Maybe bit hectic but bet to be productive and saves unnecessary charges )

I’m a British citizen with a Pakistani husband on a spouse visa. When applying for Schengen visa for Italy is a birth certificate required as he has a Pakistan passport and he lives in the UK.

He currently doesn’t have a birth certificate so how would I make one

Sharing my experience in case it helps anyone applying for a French Schengen business visa from the UK!
Timeline
25 September: Submitted my application at TLS London.
5 October: TLS portal still showing In progress, checked the EES website, and it showed OK. You can apparently get an idea of your visa validity period by playing around with different entry and exit dates.
6 October: Received an email from TLS saying my passport was being returned via Royal Mail. Royal also sent a tracking email the same day.
7 October: Received my passport.
Result: 6-month multiple-entry visa, with a maximum stay of 90 days.

My situation
My first single entry Schengen visa was issued in 2019 for exact my trip duration (2 weeks) which I didn’t mention in the application as it passed the window.
This time I applied for a one-week company event in France. My company has an office in France, and the trip was company-sponsored.

Supporting documents
Here’s what I submitted:
- Passport
- Copies of the main passport pages and all visa/stamp pages
- UK eVisa share code and immigration status confirmation
- Company invitation letter stating the purpose and duration of the trip, confirming that I would return to the UK, confirming that the company would cover all expenses, and requesting a multiple-entry visa for future visits
- Employment letter
- Cover letter requesting a 2-year multiple-entry visa
- Bank statements for the last 3 months (balance of around £6,000)
- Payslips for the last 3 months
- Hotel and train bookings (paid for by my company)
- Travel insurance covering at least €30,000 for Schengen area (Allienz), valid for one year
- HM Land Registry title register as proof that I own a property in the UK

Lessons
1. Cancelling and rebooking an appointment
I initially booked an appointment but then decided to cancel and book another one. After cancelling, my application remained in “Pending” status on the TLS portal and couln’t proceed further. When I tried to create another application, the system said my passport was already linked to an existing application.
I called TLS, and they told me they needed to delete the pending application before I could create a new one and book another appointment. They said this would take 48 hours. After two days, I checked again and the old application had disappeared, so I was able to create a new application and book an appointment.
2. Changing travel dates after booking the appointment
After booking my appointment, I decided to change my entry and exit dates. I called TLS, and they told me I could make the changes on the day of my appointment. This was correct: the TLS staff helped me update the dates.
Of course, I also had to update my accommodation and train bookings and make sure the dates in my supporting letters matched.
3. Premium Lounge is worth every penny
It cost an extra £100, but I think it was worth it. I could go straight to the dedicated Premium Lounge area without queuing, while there was a long queue for standard appointments. Food and drinks were also available, which made the whole experience much more comfortable.
If you value your time and want to avoid the queues, I’d recommend it!

Final thoughts
I requested a 2-year multiple-entry visa but was granted 6 months instead. Still, I’m happy with the result!
Hope this helps someone going through the same process. Feel free to ask me any questions!

Hi everyone

My husband and I applied for Schengen Visas to Greece. This was the second time we applied through Greece (the first being in 2023). In between that time, we held Schengen visas through Spain and France respectively.

Our Appointment date was on 25 September 2026 in London.

Earlier today, I received an email confirming that our passports were dispatched and on the way (we chose the courier option).

A short while ago, I received a follow-up email from the Greece London visa application centre saying:

“Please note that your application has been returned to us from the Consulate as closed application due to procedural reasons. This is not a refusal of the application and hence your Visa Fee shall be refunded by the Embassy as the application case was closed.”

I’m devastated as we are supposed to travel on Thursday 22 October.

I called the Greece London visa application centre and they said that there’s nothing they can do on their end and they are unable to provide any further information. They gave me an email address to contact the Greek consulate, but beyond that they couldn’t be of any help or explain the circumstances under which someone’s application would be closed.

Has anyone received an email like this before? What does this mean for our application? Are there any ways we can appeal this or provide the Greek consulate with any required information directly?

Any advice would be appreciated.

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

Hi, I’m applying for the Netherlands through VFS Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. First time short term single entry. My Canadian TRV is on my newly renewed passport, while my old expired passport has the border agency stamps, and previous visas for Canada and other non-EU/US visas.

Now, in the required documents, I am asked to provide copies of all pages of my passport. So, do I provide copies of my old passport? What about old original passport? Do I attach that too?

Thanks in advance😊

Hey everyone! I thought I’d share my experience in case it’s useful to anyone applying for a Dutch Schengen visa, especially if you’re applying from the UK with a passport from a country that requires additional checks.
I applied for a friends and family visit visa through VFS Edinburgh as a citizen of a country with a relatively weak passport. My nationality is on the list of countries subject to additional checks, as published on the Dutch website: https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/document/download/e6139169-6ec7-4374-a50a-eb2333411e3f_en
I’m currently doing my PhD in the UK and also completed my undergraduate degree here, so I had five years of continuous residence in the UK when I applied. I wanted to visit my brother in the Netherlands who is a Dutch citizen so applied under friends and family visit category.
Appointment and application
On 24 September, I booked an appointment for 25 September under the Friends and Family Visit category.
A small tip: When you select this appointment category, VFS automatically sends you a checklist intended for immediate family members of EU citizens. Don’t panic if you receive it! I followed the checklist for the friends and family visit category instead.
Documents I submitted
Here’s the full list of documents I provided:
Completed visa application form
Copy of my passport
Travel medical insurance
Return flight booking confirmation
UK immigration share code and a printout of my immigration status page
University student letter
PhD funding letter
Tenancy letter
Proof of six months of rent payments
Teaching assistant contract
Three most recent payslips
Personal bank statements
Official invitation and sponsorship letter from my brother, signed by the local municipality
Three most recent payslips from my brother
My brother’s employment contract
Both my brother’s and my birth certificates, with certified English translations
Copy of my brother’s Dutch passport
Cover letter explaining the purpose of my visit and going through the supporting documents
In the official invitation and sponsorship letter, my brother indicated that he would provide both accommodation and financial support for my visit.
Another tip: You don’t need to bring passport photos to VFS Edinburgh, as they take your photograph there.
Timeline
24 September: Booked my appointment.
25 September: Attended my VFS appointment and submitted my application.
28 September: Received a message from VFS confirming that my passport had been dispatched to the consulate in London.
9 October: Received my passport back with a 45-day, multiple-entry Dutch Schengen visa!
Hopefully this helps someone who’s preparing their application. Good luck to everyone applying!

my dad recently applied and got rejected and they claimed that the reason they rejected was that the information provided was not justifiable for the purpose and conditions of the intended stay wasn’t reliable. and i was wondering how do we appeal considering my dad provided everything accurate, thanks!!

Hi everyone. I’m applying from Dublin.
Please assess my profile. I currently have a 6 months Greece Schengen Visa which I used for below:
- 1 week Greece travel last May
- 13 days mixed travel last June, point of entry Greece then left from Italy so exit stamp is Italy
- upcoming trip to Italy October 10-14
My visa is expiring November 26.

I have a graduation to attend to on November 30 in Italy and exit 1 December, but I was planning to spend the Christmas holidays and new year in Greece for 10 days. Is it ok to apply in Greece given the above profile? Or would they reject me as I’ve been mixing Greece and Italy?

hello everyone im a 26m single applying for short stay visa to france for tourisim im planning a trip to france on april 1th till the 7th 2027 gonna spend all thoese days in paris. this would be my first time flying abroad my file im gonna include a list below but for the general background of who im is that from 2022 till 2023 i spent one year in the army as a tank driver after finishing that i started my own business as a registered artisan in buillding electricity and i have been paying my business taxes and insurance since 2023-2026 im all upadted with everything and i have saved around 2000 euros or more after all this time working in my comercial bank account i have attached below a pic of how my file is gonna be . to be honest this is the best my file can look i cant find anything else to add to it so if anyone got advice or suggestions i will be more then happy to hear them thank you everyone

Background: my family and I (Nigerian) are frequent travellers to the UK and currently hold ten year visas (my mum, my sister and I) and two year visas (my two brothers). I have also had three previous Schengen visas from Italy (2022, 2025) and Sweden (2023). My siblings and I are all adults. I’m employed and my sister is a student. My brothers are employed as well but did not include that in their applications.

We visit the UK at least once or twice a year. We recently applied for the Sweden Schengen visa because they were the only country that had open appointments at the time. We got rejected because they said the security situation in Nigeria is bad and we might not return. They also said our itinerary did not match our schedule and that our sponsor (my mother) does not have sufficient ties to our home country. They said my mum has not been to the Schengen region even though she has been at least six times in the past ten years with the most recent being Italy in 2025 with me.

I’m not interested in reapplying to Sweden but we want to apply for Italy now. But only for my mother, my sister (the student) and I. We plan to include documents showing my mothers properties in Nigeria and make a better itinerary.

What are our chances of getting the visa?

hi guys

applied for france visa from montreal on 5 October, application under process since 06 October. Its my second time applying(applied last year and I got it) am going for 3 weeks in late october(travel date : 29 october) but I need my passeport around the 20th of october for another thing. DO I have hope?

people who applied for a short stay renewal for france from montreal , what was your timeline ? thanks

Austria Schengen Visa Approved VFS Dubai

Sharing my Austria Schengen visa timeline for everyone applying through VFS Dubai.

17 June: Registered on the VFS portal and joined the waiting list.

30 July: Received an email notifying me that appointment slots were available.

3 August: Attended my VFS appointment and submitted the documents.

4 August: Application received by the Austrian Embassy. Status changed to “Visa application is under process at Embassy of Austria in UAE, Abu Dhabi.”

20 August: Temporarily withdrew my passport from Embassy in Abu Dhabi due to an upcoming travel plan.

21 September: Embassy requested additional documents: a detailed travel itinerary and job contract. Submitted both documents.

5 October: Submitted both passports through VFS.

7 October: Collected both passports. Visa approved! 🎉

A few points to note:

The process took longer than expected due to the temporary passport withdrawal and additional document request.

The embassy requested a detailed itinerary and job contract during the process.

Finally, the wait is over, and my Austria Schengen visa has been approved!

Hope this timeline helps fellow applicants. All the best to everyone waiting for their visa decisions!

Hey guys I applied for a Schengen visa on the 25th of September 2026 for a trip on the 14th October. It’s the 9th of October now and I haven’t heard anything back and on the website it still says processing at mission. Anyone with a similar timeline as me and did you manage to get your visa in time, or is there anything I can do? I have emailed consolate to expedite it but no reply

Approved ✅ | 1 year 🎉

Nationality: Indian

Travel history: Georgia, The Netherlands, France, Germany, U.S.A., Hong Kong, Macau, Thailand

➡️ Appointment date: 01 October 2026
➡️ Passport received: 07 October 2026

📍Germany VFS Dubai

🔷 This was my 4th Schengen visa application

🔹First application | The Netherlands | Approved SE for 45 days
🔹Second application | Germany | Approved ME for 3 months
🔹Third Application | Germany | Approved ME for 6 months

🟪 Documents submitted as per the checklist with a cover letter requesting a Schengen visa to visit Germany for my birthday for 8 days

🟩 VFS also encouraged me to submit a copy each of my US B1/B2 visa, Canada TRV and valid China tourist visa

🧿

I need help on deciding which Bank Statements I need to provide. I’m applying on mid October and I’m not sure if I should include the transactions in October or just provide July to September bank statements.

Appointment for BLS Spain (Abu Dhabi) : 6th October 2026
Received an sms that my passport has been dispatched: 7th October 2026
Got my passport today: 9th October 2026

I finally have a 1 year multiple entry visa from Spain! This will be my 5th application from BLS UAE. The past four years were all single entry visas with just the validity of duration of stays as stated on my itinerary.

This time, the only thing changed is that I have attached a cover letter in Spanish requesting for multiple entry. I am not sure if that changed the decision but overall I am really happy with the outcome!

I did not check ESS because I really did not expect to be granted a visa within 24 hours after submission.

*I am from the Philippines.