If you are planning a summer trip to Europe, booking your Schengen visa appointment just became more urgent. Immigration advisory firm Fragomen has issued an alert warning that appointments for Schengen C visa applications are already limited as demand builds ahead of the peak travel season running from May to August.

The firm has advised travellers to plan well in advance and urged businesses to build flexibility into any European travel arrangements, particularly for time-sensitive trips.

Why are appointments hard to get

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The shortage is being driven by a straightforward surge in application volumes during one of Europe's busiest travel windows. The Schengen C visa covers short-term travel across most European Union member states and is among the most applied-for visas globally. When demand spikes during peak season, consular capacity struggles to keep pace, and this year, the pressure is compounded by broader changes to Europe's border management systems.

Two new systems are adding to the wait

Europe is simultaneously rolling out two significant changes to how it manages travellers at its borders, and both are contributing to delays.

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The Entry Exit System, or EES, is a digital border management tool now being implemented across the Schengen Area. It records the entry and exit details of non-EU travellers, replacing the manual passport stamping process. While the system is designed to modernise immigration checks and identify overstays, its rollout has already led to longer queues and delays at several airports and border crossings, according to Fragomen.

Separately, the European Union is moving towards a fully digital Schengen visa system by 2028. Under the proposed framework, visas will be issued digitally with encrypted barcodes to improve security and streamline the application process. During the current transition period, however, travellers should expect a mix of digital and paper-based procedures, adding an additional layer of uncertainty to the process.

Some European countries remain outside the Schengen Area or are exempt from EES procedures, allowing travellers passing through those entry points to avoid some of the additional checks.

Published on: May 8, 2026 1:02 PM IST