Schengen Visa Appointments Nearly Impossible to Book in UAE Until Mid-August, Travel Agents Report

Foreign residents in the UAE are facing major challenges in securing Schengen visa appointments, with most countries fully booked until at least mid-August 2024.

While Greece shows some limited availability, demand remains overwhelming. Subair Thekepurathvalappil, Senior Manager at Wisefox Tourism, told Khaleej Times, “There are no appointments for any country at the moment. Only a few limited slots are available for Greece in the third week of July, but even those are hard to get. With the current delays, the summer holidays will be over by the time people get their visas.”

Travel agencies note that the surge in applications is driven largely by the popularity of destinations like Italy and France, which are experiencing particularly heavy demand. Though some Scandinavian countries have more appointment availability, they remain less favored during the peak summer travel season.

Due to processing backlogs, consular services across Schengen states are struggling to manage the influx. As a result, UAE foreign residents are being urged to either apply far in advance or consider travel alternatives to avoid disruption of their summer plans.

Over 260,000 Schengen Visa Applications Filed from UAE in 2024

While UAE passport holders enjoy visa-free travel to the Schengen Area, the same doesn’t apply to foreign nationals living in the country whose home countries lack visa exemption agreements with the EU.

According to data from SchengenVisaInfo, foreign residents in the UAE submitted a total of 260,229 Schengen visa applications in 2024. Out of these, 196,109 were approved, and 61,738 were rejected.

The top three countries granting the most Schengen visas to UAE-based foreign residents in 2024 were:

Germany – 32,956 applications received, 23,399 visas issued

France – 28,778 applications received, 23,093 visas issued

Netherlands – 29,473 applications received, 22,427 visas issued

These numbers highlight the ongoing high demand for travel to Europe and the urgent need for better appointment access and faster visa processing timelines.