With Europe’s Christmas markets back in full swing, travel agencies in the UAE are facing an unprecedented rush for Schengen-visa slots. Khaleej Times reported on November 7 that appointment calendars at several European consulates are “almost full,” with the earliest Dutch slots only available in March 2026 and German dates slipping into January.
High-net-worth and middle-class residents alike are scrambling to secure passports to snow-clad villages in Switzerland, Italy and France. Agents say demand is so intense that travellers are planning trips around whatever consular date they can get rather than vice-versa.
![Schengen-Visa Appointments Nearly Sold Out as UAE Residents Plan Winter Holidays]()
The squeeze follows a record summer for outbound UAE tourism and coincides with VFS Global’s seasonal staffing ramp-up. Yet capacity constraints persist because many missions reverted to pre-pandemic quota systems. Business travellers are also caught in the bottleneck; consultants report executives paying premium-lounge fees merely to submit documents faster, even though such services do not influence processing time.
Corporate mobility teams should advise staff to apply at least 12 weeks ahead and consider alternative gateways such as Malta or Poland, where slots remain. Employers may also need to adjust holiday-roster planning as last-minute European trips become harder to arrange.
VFS Global reiterated that appointment booking is free and cautioned against paying third-party brokers who promise guaranteed slots—an emerging scam that can leave applicants out of pocket and still visa-less.
High-net-worth and middle-class residents alike are scrambling to secure passports to snow-clad villages in Switzerland, Italy and France. Agents say demand is so intense that travellers are planning trips around whatever consular date they can get rather than vice-versa.
The squeeze follows a record summer for outbound UAE tourism and coincides with VFS Global’s seasonal staffing ramp-up. Yet capacity constraints persist because many missions reverted to pre-pandemic quota systems. Business travellers are also caught in the bottleneck; consultants report executives paying premium-lounge fees merely to submit documents faster, even though such services do not influence processing time.
Corporate mobility teams should advise staff to apply at least 12 weeks ahead and consider alternative gateways such as Malta or Poland, where slots remain. Employers may also need to adjust holiday-roster planning as last-minute European trips become harder to arrange.
VFS Global reiterated that appointment booking is free and cautioned against paying third-party brokers who promise guaranteed slots—an emerging scam that can leave applicants out of pocket and still visa-less.
