People living in the U.S., Canada, UK, South Africa and Australia can now get faster appointments for visa applications to France, Germany, Spain and Italy than ever before, allowing them to travel across many countries in the European region for the duration of their visa.

Why do visa application appointments to some European countries take so long?

The 26 Schengen countries of Europe incorporate thousands of entry points at airports, harbors and land borders. Tourism statistics show that over 500 million tourists visit Europe yearly and these numbers are expected to continue to rise at a steady pace over the next decade. That is a lot of visa applications for their representatives to process.

Nowadays, the option of walking into an embassy and requesting a visa is obsolete. An appointment has to be booked online and appointment availability is usually a problem. Most travelers now have to plan months ahead before a taking a trip, but because of work commitments, some cannot afford to wait so long.

What exactly is a Schengen visa?

Once a traveler is permitted to enter the Schengen zone, via one of the 26 countries that have signed the Schengen agreement, they can travel within it for the whole duration of their visa. These visas allow for travel through most of the countries of the European Union, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, and Lichtenstein. Monaco, San Marino and the Vatican City are not members but have open borders. The Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands are located outside the European continent, but are special members.

However, visitors usually apply for a visa to a specific country and this needs to be done through an Embassy or Consulate representing the country which will be their port of entry, main destination, or the place where they will stay the longest.

Which are the most popular entry points for tourists to Europe?

France, Germany, Spain, Greece, the United Kingdom and Italy are some of the most popular entry points to Europe and getting an appointment at one of their embassies or consulates takes time and depends on the availability of dates on their websites.

How Favisbook accelerates visa appointments

The booking and confirmation for an appointment for a visa application can be completed on favisbook.com. Confirmations are done within 24 hours, even during the busy season. The website allows the applicant to confirm an appointment directly on the web calendar for anything up to 90 days ahead, or to sign up for alerts when slots open up. Adjustments to appointments are easy to make if earlier dates become available.

Which countries can visa application appointments be booked for with Favisbook?

With Favisbook.com appointments can be arranged for the consulates and embassies of France, Germany, Spain and Italy from a number of countries.

Italy

Italy is well represented and visa appointments can be made for consulates in Sydney, London, Cape Town, Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and in 10 major U.S. cities. These include Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Washington.

Spain

Visa appointments to Spain are currently available in Australia, Canada and the U.S. The cities where these can be arranged are Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Montreal, New York, San Francisco, Sydney, and Toronto.

Germany

Germany has a smaller availability of consulates for visa application appointments from Canada and the U.S. and appointments can be made for Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and Toronto.

France

Currently, France is only represented on the continent of Australia, but it won’t be long before other cities are added. Visa appointments can be arranged for the French consulate in Sydney.

Final scoop:

Getting your Schengen visa can certainly be expedited without the need to re-invent the wheel. Saving time and money by using experts who’ve done it all before, seems like the way to go.