 "A woman poses for a picture on a bridge above the Main river in the centre of Frankfurt am Main, western Germany, on August 7, 2023. File Photo/AFP")
Germany is doing away with the informal visa appeal process from July 1 globally. The move will be a big jolt to Indians seeking Schengen and national visas for higher education, skilled jobs and tourism in the European country.
According to the German Missions in India, the change is expected to reduce wait times and free up staff to process more visas. However, after Germany scraps the remonstration procedure, applicants will be left with rather costly and time-consuming recourse if their visa is rejected.
Let’s take a closer look.
Germany scraps visa appeal process
Germany’s remonstration procedure allowed visa aspirants whose applications were rejected to file a letter for free and contest the decision. This informal step saved visa seekers from taking the lengthy and costly legal recourse.
“The Federal Foreign Office has decided to abolish the remonstration procedure for visa rejections worldwide from July 1. This eliminates a legal remedy in the visa application procedure that is not statutorily prescribed and which up to now has been granted voluntarily,” the German Missions in India said on its website.
This change comes after a pilot project was launched in June 2023, when remonstrations for both Schengen visas and national visas were suspended to assess their impact.
“Evaluation of the pilot project has shown that dispensing with the remonstration procedure has released considerable staff capacity in visa sections in some cases, freeing up staff to process more visa applications,” the German Missions said.
It said this helped them process more visa applications as well as cut wait times.
How will Indians be impacted?
Indians comprise one of the largest groups seeking German Schengen and national visas. The changes are, thus, likely to affect them more. According to the visa processing platform Atlys’ report, the demand for Schengen visas surged among Indians this year.
Schengen visa enables non-EU holders to visit 29 countries in the Schengen zone for 90 days in a 180-day period.
Indians travelling to Germany also witnessed an 8.6 per cent spike in 2024, rising from 8,26,703 overnight stays in 2023 to 8,97,841 in 2024.
As the informal visa appeal process ends, visa applicants will have to ensure their applications are error-free the first time to reduce the chances of being turned down.
In 2024, Germany denied 206,733 Schengen visa applications with a rejection rate of 13.7 per cent.
Visa applicants will have only two options if their application is rejected. They can either submit a completely new application or file a legal appeal in German courts. The legal route is usually costly, and the applicant has to hire a German lawyer. The courts can take up to two years to reach a decision.
“Adequate legal protection will also be guaranteed in the future, for judicial review under law will not be limited by the abolition of the remonstration procedure. Furthermore, it goes without saying that all applicants have the option of submitting a new visa application at any time in the case of a rejection,” the German Embassy said.
However, experts say that the visa reforms will make the appeal process more difficult.
“Germany’s upcoming visa reform, effective from July 2025, is a double-edged sword for Indian students and travellers,” Ankit Mehra, Founder & CEO of GyanDhan told Financial Express.
“By removing the appeals process for rejected visa applications, the system promises faster processing and administrative efficiency. However, it also eliminates a crucial safety net. Applicants will no longer have the option to appeal rejections, making it essential that their documents and application meet all criteria from the start,” Mehra added.
With inputs from agencies