In recent days, social networking sites have posted information that has attracted great attention from the tourism community. This information refers to the issue of issuing visas to the Schengen area, which is being tightened due to the impact of the case of 39 Vietnamese bodies discovered in the UK while trying to enter illegally.
Originating from a Facebook account currently living and settling in Europe, the information was posted on November 20: “Starting from November 18, the visa issuance regulations for a Vietnamese citizen at any consulate will be assessed by all 27 countries in the Schengen area. This means that if you go to the French Consulate to apply for a visa, in addition to your complete application, you will have to wait for the consent of all 26 other countries. They will send a diplomatic note to all countries in the Schengen area. If all agree, you will have a visa. Otherwise, they do not need to give any explanation.”
This information has created a huge public opinion and caused confusion and anxiety for many individuals planning to apply for a Schengen visa.
Basically, this information is not wrong but not completely accurate. Visa approval in the Schengen area has always required the consensus of all countries in the area. Any member who does not agree will have a section on their visa that says “No entry to ….” that specific country. This clause is clearly stated on theofficial website of the European Commission.
In the “Processing of a visa application” section it states:
“Some Schengen States require that they be consulted on visa applications submitted to other Schengen States by citizens of certain countries. The consultation process may take up to seven calendar days.”
Accordingly, Schengen countries have the right to send visa applications they receive to other countries in the bloc. This only applies to applications from a certain group of countries, including Vietnam. This assessment process can take up to seven calendar days.
The process takes place on a linked information technology system called SIS, not in the form of "sending a note" as in the information posted above. SIS - Schengen Information System is the largest and most widely used information sharing system for security and border management in Europe. SIS allows competent national authorities such as police and border guards to enter and consult warnings about specific people or objects. In addition, visa and immigration authorities can also use this platform to exchange and consult about third-country nationals (countries where visa applicants are applying) with the aim of refusing or allowing them to enter. This system is operating in 30 countries in Europe, including 26 EU member states and 4 Schengen associated countries (Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland).
A search on the website of UDI - the Norwegian Immigration Directorate, a Schengen-affiliated country but not part of the EU, also shows similar information.
Information is clearly posted on the website https://www.udi.no - Norwegian Immigration Service.
“Once the embassy, consulate or UDI has examined your application, we will send it to the other Schengen countries. We cannot complete processing your application until all of these countries have approved it. This will take at least eight days. This is a regular issue for all citizens of the countries on this list and does not mean that there is anything wrong with your case” - the information is clearly posted on the websiteudi.no.
Thus, the information that when applying for a Schengen visa, you have to wait for the assessment of the countries in the bloc is completely correct. However, this assessment has been applied and maintained for a long time and is not a recent change.
Visa approval within the Schengen area has always required the consensus of all countries within the area.
After a series of recent illegal immigration and labor cases, Vietnam visas have dropped 15 places and are in the bottom group in the world visa rankings. This will certainly have a significant impact on Vietnamese people applying for visas in general and Schengen visas in particular. However, if you prepare your documents well and carefully follow the correct procedures, getting a Schengen visa is not too difficult at this time.
