Schengen visa questions, answered by applicants who've been through it

Rather than cancelling, you can postpone your tickets by a week or two. That might be cheaper (if you book non-refundable tickets)

I booked via Makemytrip, the cancellation is 17k per head and reschedule is 7k+difference in fare. …Read the full reply

If you have flights booked, check the change/cancellation policy first. If changes must be made 24 hours before departure, I'd move the dates now. If you can modify closer to departure, you could wait until around 12:15 AM to see if your passport is dispatched and check your EES status. If you're able to travel later without major impact, moving the dates is the safer option.

Got the passport dispatch email from VFS today (21st Sept). EES status turned OK

Very close to your travel date, I recommend you send an email to Embassy …Read the full reply

Already seny a mail, 2 days back. They reverted with a generic response - "official timelines of visa processing should be referred".

I got my visa today, but the validity is only for a month. Not sure whether to be happy about getting it or worried about redoing the entire plan

Also I did pay an additional to get updates on the visa processing which was absolutely of no use at all what so ever.

It won’t happen. My wife’s visa got dispatched today. Application date 18th. EES says okay. Hence, assuming her visa got approved. Have to physically verify though. Our travel dates were sep 17 to 24. Already crossed and lost 1.25 lakhs by booking non refundable hotel reservation. Biggest mistake. But now the visa is coming. lol. My visa is yet to come. I have applied on 26th August

@vinit , My wife’s passport will reach tomorrow. Applied on 18th August. That’s 41 days. It took a while maybe coz we requested 2 year visa.

Hi, I got OK on EES status yesterday and when we submitted the documents, they were all based on 23rd September. So I think it should be okay for you.

@Daisy you cannot do much but have patience , below are Some pointers from my end 1. Check your travel insurence - if it covers visa delay 2. If your application has passed 45 days you can call netherlandsworldwide and explain them that your travel dates are approching 3. If you can reschedule your flight do so to avoid stress if you do not receive any update near to your travel date. Hoping you will get your visa soon.

Our visa dispatched from VFS Delhi today and EES also showing OK for all member

Not checked today. Yesterday it’s not ok

I am on the same boat. My EES turned OK just a few mins back! …Read the full reply

Still awaiting EES, most people having 15th application date are now reporting EES okay. Myabe it be the case for us on Wednesday or Thursday. Also Friday embassy is closed for 2nd Oct. Fingers Crossed.

Just to update, still haven't received any update yet. Looks like they have processed bulk passports for 19th Aug but only a handful of 18th Aug. Have cancelled my flights and hence the trip. …Read the full reply

Also, basis my experience and after speaking with a lot of my friends in the same boat, the embassy is now taking an average of about 43 days, so please consider that much margin while applying. Any earlier average timeline is not true anymore.

I think seeing the current status,you should try and have a margin of atleast 45-50 days especially for Delhi..

Recieved my VISA today (4 days before my travel date) and VFS did not intimate me via SMS or email (i had opted for SMS service). I recieved message from Blue dart saying Arriving today.

Initially we booked for 23rd September since we had a free date change, we updated it to 11th October.

My appointment time is 10AM too, it reached delhi embassy on 25th August. …Read the full reply

Hi! I got dispatched after 38 days. …Read the full reply

No it's not look at the timeline they are following now. You got to give them atleast 60 days now

I'd rather suggest doing it once receive it, as the dates may not be what's expected 😕

I got update that our passports has been dispatched via courier Shilpa.

My EES turned OK now! I am relieved now. I hope I will get back my passport also on time. …Read the full reply

I guess by 30th he can get. Mine reached embassy on 14th. EES updated today. Might get passport on monday or tuesday.

I am also in similar situation. No one can give you guarantee. Best possible things: Wait till 1st October, evening and then reschedule your flight. I also applied visa for my parents on 25th August and no response till now.

Wait for the update today evening, otherwise reschedule your flight. Even if they dispatch the passport on Monday, it is very un likely it will reach you in Tuesday

give them a call when date is near , may be it helps. For contact number go to netherlandsworldwide

i have received passport on 22 september ees ok on 19th september

Hey maybe check the graph again because it shows only 6 applications dispatched for 31st

check EES website. I have seen comments where EES status got update later post courier was dispatched or next morning

https://travel-europe.europa.eu/ees/check-how-long-you-can-stay

I just got my multi-entry Schengen Visa today (applied for Italy), EES shows NOT OK still. EES is stale.

Do not worry guys, please be positive. Seen lots of people EES not ok but the visa is approved.

Ees status link- https://travel-europe.europa.eu/ees/check-how-long-you-can-stay

i applied on 21 today mon my ess got updated check your ess if your ess shows ok then expect dispatch tom if ess is not ok then tom ess update and day after u can expect a dispatch

same thing happened to me. Status of EES was not good when the passport was sent last week, but when I checked next day at 11 a.m. in the morning. It became OK. My visa has been approved.

Your submission date was? EES cannot be considered as a conclusive proof of visa being issued… wait for the passport

you can check here: https://travel-europe.europa.eu/ees/check-how-long-you-can-stay

Hi, Divya! https://travel-europe.europa.eu/ees/check-how-long-you-can-stay You put all the details here. If it says OK. it means you got a visa. If it says NO OKAY, don't worry. …Read the full reply

Got my passport with multi-entry schengen Visa, EES is still NOT OK. So, guys don't panic if EES is showing NOT OK.

I didn't received passport yet. It is still in the middle as per dhl update. Today Morning my EES status change to OK. I will book my paid flight today. I think it takes time to change the status to OK.

Hi! I also got OK now.

Yes yes happens don't consider "not okay" as a rejection, it's not reliable.

Finally i can see dispatch status for mine. however ees is still no ok. I'm first timer. No travel history.

Got all 3 passports today with visa, ees still shows not ok for 2 of the passports.

From what I observed, EES turns OK for most people at 2:30pm-4:30pm IST and VFS dispatch mail is sent around 6-8pm IST

There is, you need to enter passport , select issuing country ( eg india ) and then next selection is Netherlands

Search EES status in Google, open the first link, at the bottom those details are asked.

Issuing country is India yaar

My cousin got the visa and on ees if you put in the travel date it shows OK, if you put travel date apart from the granted period it shows Not OK

Hi, I applied on the 13th and just now got my visa. Checked the EES portal and it still says "Not Ok" lol. …Read the full reply

You can check how long you can stay in EES portal

Not able to share links here but if you google 'schengen ees check' a website will come up mentioning travel-europe in the URL, can check through that

VFS application still says 'is under process at Embassy of Switzerland in India.' But I checked with my passport on the EES website which got updated to OK. Have not received any text from vfs so worth tracking separately on the EES website

pls check on this site https://travel-europe.europa.eu/ees/check-how-long-you-can-stay

@Daisy Most of the time, it happens like this: When the visa is approved, the EES is updated around 5 PM. And at same night passpoert is dispatched.

You will mostly get the dispatch update from VFS today afternoon (around 12PM to 4PM). For me as well, EES was OK on Sep 29 afternoon, but dispatch update from VFS came on Sep 30 afternoon

Entry Exit System used by EU. It can show you how long can you stay if your visa is approved. You can Google EES Europe for the website.

You can use this website to check - add https to travel-europe.europa.eu/ees/check-how-long-you-can-stay , takes passport as input. Not able to add actual link in comment.

My application now shows processed on vfs tracker and there is a bluedart link too. Will receive it in a day or two I guess I am unable to paste the link here but just search for EES europe - how long can I stay and check

Wt: there are conditions mentioned on EES site -> 1 - Please note that the answer 'OK' or 'NOT OK' cannot be interpreted as a decision to grant or refuse entry to the Schengen Area. …Read the full reply

Hi, it's okay it's most probably approved.

very next day they dispatch so around 2 days

Even it takes 2 days with courier service to home address

Around 5 pm..Now vfs tracking also updated..showing handed to courier service

Same although mine says sent to courier service.

Check in blurdart site , of is showing there before here at 11:30 ist . www.bluedart.com/ web/guest/ trackdartresult? trackFor=1&trackNo=NLDMHLddmm2600XxYY

I see that as dispatched on Blue Dart, thank you

Now showing as dispatched yesterday and reached Mumbai today. Thank you, this site is very helpful. Still no update from VFS.

ESS updated to ‘OK’ today. No notification from VFS yet.

Yes my gone OK today at 3 pm. 17 Sept Delhi

Ok. But VFS not dispatched

Mo- did you check with dates inside your planned trip: outside your visa's dates it shows not okey ? …Read the full reply

EES status is not reliable, and my application date was 17 august for netherland visa, so tomorrow once i go for pick up i will get to know whether its approved or rejected

Yes it turned Ok for me today, applied on 8th Sept Mumbai VFS SWZ.

Yes turned OK for me yesterday as well, 8 Sept Mumbai VFS Swiss

https://travel-europe.europa.eu/ees/check-how-long-you-can-stay

Not always..It sometimes gets updated later also

Yes it got dispatched today . EES turned okay yesterday and today it got dispatched . …Read the full reply

https : / / travel-europe.europa.eu / ees / check-how-long-you-can-stay..................Remove the spaces, and you can view the EES status here.

Went processing on 17 September, Got dispatch message today morning.

If EES turns ok then next day it dispatches

There are hopes for your visa to be approved as are various conditions leading to not ok status on EES , it is mentioned on the website itself.

I believe this gets updated after your application is processed. Also, just a note, the website itself states that the EES status isn't reliable.

Just to update guys my EES turned OK today..hope that means approval?..passport not yet dispatched

Most probably Yes

As far as I know it is updated as soon as your visa is approved snd within 24-48 hrs you receive your passport

Not yet, some people who applied on 8th already received their passport in a few days while others had to wait, will need patience

@Asif Did you check EES if it shows okay , if it does i believe the passport should be dispatched soon. …Read the full reply

Check EES. It turned ok for a lot of applications of 7th

Mostly it's granted

It can also be withdrawals

I see on vfs site that passport is dispatch but the EES still shows Not Ok. …Read the full reply

Applications are not processed in sequence, also i am assuming group applications take more time.

EES is work in progress site There are several conditions depending on previous travel history as well as sometime for first time travellers it doesnot show correct status as well. So hope for the best. …Read the full reply

As much as i have observed bluedart status - the passports are dispatched around midnight from Delhi and reach Mumbai early morning around between 3-5 am and then dispatched to respective location, if you are in proper Mumbai you should receive passport around 12pm and if in suburbs around evening. …Read the full reply

Bluedart tracking is not generated yet. I see on VFS tracking that it is dispatched.Maybe today after 12 AM it would appear here

Now it is added to this website

@ketan this is not to increase your stress further but if possible please reschedule the flights. This will save your peace of mind I have been in similar situation Some got the visa and 1 rejected with vague reason that they do not trust the documents where everything was genuine and we got revert after 40+ days, applied in July end and got revert in sept for all of them. This was not thier first time travel as well. Not sure what they are doing.

They don't process the applications chronologically

I applied on 21st from Bangalore. And they have not dispatched any passport after 8th Sep for 21st. Still waiting.

25th may take little more time, they have reached to a processing date of august 8 to 11th

Yes I applied on August 31st, I’m Not sure how are they processing the entire application process , it’s all random & I also see that 21st , 31st applications are not even touched

I've applied on 18th August from Bangalore. Still no decision or dispatch.

I applied on 26th. Still no update.

Hi, so if you look at data dispatch date wise, most of the visas are from 2-3 dates with a few random visas picked from future dates like end august/september. God knows what logic they follow for hese random picks of later dates but to be realistic, focus on the maximum visas processed for those 2-3 dates i earlier mentioned. That will give you a way to predict when can you expect yours to be processed. …Read the full reply

I don't think they go sequentially. I'm also a 17 Aug applicant with my number being in the first five. I'm a solo applicant. I'm not sure what's the criteria for order of processing to be honest.

Check EES, VFS updates slowly, since you are near your 45 day mark, maybe it is processed.

There’s no movement on 18/21 either. I believe they’re finally clearing the backlog day-wise. I can see some newer dates, like the 25th, getting completed as well, but the majority are still prioritizing the older dates first.

Those can be business or orange carpet visas. Tourist ones take much longer

I am taking a guess on this. I think all the visas processed first are the business/orange carpet visas. I too had applied for one and got it within 20 days. There might be a separate lot for business and tourist visas so the visas you see being processed which are ahead of your date are most probably the business ones.

AND WE SEE LUCKNOW DISPATCHED 9 SEPT APPLICATION

Im not sure what is wrong with them , 21st, 31st applications are not touched at all. They are moving to September already. …Read the full reply

Based on the graphs above, it looks like new applications are currently taking around 12–15 working days on average to be completed. Unfortunately, we can’t further segment this by business type, such as B-size, tourist, or other categories, so that will always be a limitation. …Read the full reply

Slim to none. I applied on 2nd September, no update yet.

Today is 41st day for me. Still under processing.

They will not entertain unless it has crossed 45 days mark

We contacted embassy and even managed to het in touch with the ministry at Netherlands. Always the same reply. Nothing can be done before 45 day mark.

No response to e-mail , even had called several time they do not entertain before 45 days. …Read the full reply

They will ask for application number your name DOB and passport number and email and phone number and they do signal or raise signal if only application crossed 45 days

What information do they ask while raising the signal. I had called them on sunday as a sponsor for my cousin for same but they were reluctant to raise a signal as well as lady was constantly repeating we cannot expedite the process. At the end she said we would need personal information so ask your cousin to call to India no. And then we will take further information from her. After calling to india no. They dint help there too.! For your application you may check EES.

Your passport is with the embassy and not with VFS. If you had applied for netherlands you could drop a email to the embassy at nde-ca@minbuza.nl. Hope this helps

Nothing can be done by the sponsor, i have sponsored …Read the full reply

i dont think so and be ware of scamsters too who offer such help

You can do nothing but wait unfortunately as they will only speed up your process when 45 days pass. Before that they expect us all to wait since the legal limit is now 45 days which by the way they are very casually crossing these days.

THey would only entertain call/email if it's been 45 days since they received the application

I have still not received any updates. I called the embassy, they said it takes up to 45 working days

You can call on Netherlands Worldwide number available on their website. …Read the full reply

Give them a call saying your standard processing time of 45 days has lapsed, they will raise a signal to CSO. …Read the full reply

When you contact embassy they will ask how much time has passed , if it has passed 45 days then only they entertain . ASK them to raise a signal , this will expedite the process and hopefully you will get you passport in 2-5 days

A friend of mine got his passport dispatched on 43rd day. That was 3 weeks ago when their average dispatch time was 30 days for Bangalore. Now its crossed 41 days

Same situation with me but there's nothing to do for expediting as we havent crossed the 45 days threshold from when the Embassy received the application. …Read the full reply

Hey, I visited vfs today for the very same reason, to withdraw you application you will have to suba formal letter to vfs in person with a copy of your passport and ID. They mentioned the passport should return within 48 hours of submitting the withdrawal request.

I explained claude and it it wrote a neet letter for me. Just dont forget to mention your application no. And address the Embassy not VFS. They will anyway give you a form at VFS anyway. Passport copy and any govt. Must be attached and carry your receipt.

I am in exactly same situation as you. If it doesn’t arrive today i will go and withdraw on 28th. And yes I personally went to VFS to verify withdrawal timeline - 48 hours.

If you want to apply for withdrawal, official time mentioned by others is 48hrs.

Won’t rescheduling be better? Maybe after 45 days from your application date. Cost of rescheduling will be high but so is the re-application of visa.

i applied withdrawal request at vfs hyd on 29th sept and received my passport on 1st

Your 45 days window itself is still pretty much under your travel date. I wouldn’t withdraw it until 11th or maybe 12th. There is a higher possibility that you will get your passport before that. Unless you have another planned international trip before that.

Within 48 hours they mentioned

After calling Netherlands world wide, it was mentioned it might take upto 5 days if the application is withdrawn.

After receiving no response, status updates, or email replies regarding my visa application, I requested its withdrawal. While the withdrawal was processed almost immediately. The inquiry desk could not provide a clear timeframe for my passport return, indicating it could take anywhere from 2/15/30 days. …Read the full reply

In person in delhi vfs, you can choose to send someone on your behalf but not sure how that works.

There should be email from vfs when passport is dispatched through courier

Applied on 18th as well, from hyderabad. I opted for pickup. Got an update yesterday that application was processed and in transit to VAC. Got another update this afternoon around 3PM that passport is ready for pick up. Picked up my passport, visa approved (3 months, 30 day multi entry). EES is still NOT OK

@hk - it had changed to dispatched

You won’t get any update from them. Directly a msg from Blue Dart on the day of delivery. Just keep tracking from here.

@MT it shows invalid if you open the wrong tracking page. You have to search for VFS India to Netherlands tracking. Then use the top search result. That should work. Application no. has to be given including the "/", unlike on bluedart where you have to skip that. So NLD/BLR/DDMMYY/00XX/01.

@CuriousGuy yes it says your processed application has now been dispatched via courier on the tracking page. But no SMS or email from VFS despite opting for the service. EES turned OK in the morning itself.

Same here. VFS tracking does show processed but no SMS/email yet.

ikrrr!! EES finally turned OK after like 50 days of submitting my passport, on a day I least expected. And I have been here and on the EES site like a maniac for the past 1 month. My passport got dispatched too finally. Soooo relieved finally!!! All of us in the same boat xD

Link 1: https: // visa . vfsglobal . com / ind / en / nld / track-application You can then click the track application from here. Input Format --> NLD/BLR/DDMMYY/00XX/01. Then your surname and the captcha is all capital. Instead of BLR, put the city 3 letter code where you applied from. For example DEL for VFS Delhi.

It takes multiple attempts sometimes. Close the website and try again. That’s what I do

VFS has a separate landing page for every destination & application location pair. For example, you need to google VFS Bangalore to Netherlands tracking and it will re-direct you to the VFS BLR tracking for NLD applications. You should be able to see your status then.

Yes this is all it shows. The next update would be when it has been processed and is being sent back to you.

Something similar happened in our case, the status updated on vfs website first then once the courier picks up then it starts reflecting on bluedart/DHL and sms is also sent from courier about delivery time

Update on my application! I randomly checked the VFS tracking just now and it says, "Your processed application with reference number xxxxxxx has been dispatched via courier on 16/09/2026." I have not received this message on my SMS or email yet and checking DHL shows "There is no information on the Waybill/Reference Number/Order Number currently." So, I am questioning the process. Maybe the website gets updated first, then the email/sms will be sent and then the DHL gets updated?

Update! Got my passport with Visa just now!

And still no SMS or email from VFS! I contacted them and said I needed a refund for the SMS service. They said they would send me an email.

use the vfs refund form to raise a request , if they deny file a consumer complaint -> consumerhelpline. Ive got refunded for my parents for forced premium service through consumer complaint. Good luck!

@Shashank I applied through VFS Chennai, submitted on the 13th Aug. …Read the full reply

@JK Interestingly, I did not receive a dispatch email from the embassy, neither did i receive an SMS from VFS global ( I had opted in for SMS notifications). The only notification that i receieved was an SMS from Blue Dart on the morning that they were delivering the passport. That's about it.

Some other information that you might find useful. I had dummy tickets and bookings. Even though it was not the travel dates that i intended - the embassy will still issue you the visa despite it. If the Bluedart person recieves a passport they are mandated to deliver it on the same day. …Read the full reply

Track through refrence number on Blue dart You can track with your reference number (without slashes) mentioned in your visa application slip/receipt

Apply for a refund via vfs refund form

Here you will not see the series wherein you have selected the option as pick up from VFS Centre. Our series Number was not here. However, we have received the message to collect the passport.

If you have opted for pickup from Bangalore, you can still track your applications here in this website. If you have opted to pick it from Delhi VFS then it will not show up here in the tracker

I didn’t get any updates on email/SMS. Received a message from Bluedart on the day of delivery.

Ideally I would go and collect the passport myself from their office, even on holidays their office will be open for at least half a day

2-3 days.

Actually, I don’t think this is tracking completely accurately. The processing has actually moved ahead much faster than what is reflected here. I submitted my application on 14 August and I received my visa today! Also, my Blue Dart tracking information hasn’t been added here, and VFS didn’t send me any message before the update either. So please don’t lose hope based solely on the numbers you see here — they may not represent the actual current processing status.

Yes it’s like that for everyone

at night on 12 o clock

date mentioned at top is for the day for which system thinks 70% application has processed, not 100%

Mine was on 17th Aug Delhi, no update yet

It will get updated at midnight 12

Hey if you check your application number (or any application number) on BlueDarts tracking website without the "/", it will show you the tracking status of that application if it's been dispatched. It's definitely not trial.

In the night, around midnight. And then the next day in the morning

I had applied on 6th of August and i received my passport yesterday. I have been regularly tracking and i guess the website is updating everyday, the embassy process is too slow

@RM, i only got email when the passport was submitted to dutch embassy after that i never got any update from VFS.

Yes

Usually only other family members gets added during 1AM. Very few new ones....

It generally takes 4-5 minutes after the time. You can see "just now" when its updated. As it seems, no new passports in the 3:30AM update

You can find it Post 12:30 AM on 24th Sep

It updates after 1 is what Admin of the tracker mentioned. I've noticed on the next day morning also there's additional applications added to the tracker... …Read the full reply

It updates every weekday at 1am

Updates were visible at 01:10 am

midnight

Check at 1am

Yes, I believe this is normal. Even the D3 visa, which is a high-skilled/highly qualified professional visa and is generally given priority, has not been processed yet. I applied on 13 August in Delhi.

Average processing duration for Switzerland is 15-18 calendar days!!

No, it’s not the case. For my parents it got approved after 29 days.

I went yesterday to vfs. They said there is no way that the embassy entertains anyone. Vfs themselves can only help withdraw application.

No. It is the same speed as everyone else. I submitted on Aug 20 from Bangalore and still awaiting.

I applied from Mumbai. Yes I have travel history to Europe. This is my second time applying for netherlands visa. First time got visa within 15 days. But this time it took almost 40 days. Hopefully should receive passport soon. Travel date is 25 September

Hi..I had submitted on 11 Aug and as per message today the passport is dispatched. My travel date is 25

Yeah Netherlands embassy can process today and if yours is approved you can see it on EES website, but it won’t be dispatched today I think.

Hi! I have applied on 24 August. EES- not okay. No update. It's really taking around 40 days.

I received an email from consulate yesterday asking for visa copies/VFS appointment confirmation copy of my co-travellers who received it or already have it. I shared them all the visas of people traveling along with me leaving one person who happened to cancel due to personal reasons. …Read the full reply

Same for me, applied on September 3 from VFS Pune and the passport is ready for pick up today. Travel date is October 10. I had opted for self-pick up so my application number did not show up here. EES also turned OK 2 days back. …Read the full reply

Business justification was insufficient. With orange carpet we don’t expect rejection and documents asked was also minimal