Global immigration firm Fragomen reports that appointment slots for Schengen short-stay (C) visas have become scarce across Europe, with peak-season demand from May to August outstripping capacity at consulate outsourcing partners such as VFS Global. The alert singles out Italy, France and Spain as the most constrained locations, noting that some VFS centres in India and the Gulf are already fully booked until late July. The shortage coincides with Italy’s first full month of operating the EU Entry/Exit System (EES). Traveller-processing times have jumped, and the Interior Ministry has drafted an emergency decree allowing officers at Rome-Fiumicino and Milan-Malpensa to bypass biometric kiosks when queues exceed 45 minutes. Though designed to ease congestion, the discretionary switch between automated and manual checks introduces process variability that can confuse frequent travellers. Fragomen recommends that businesses file visa applications at least six weeks ahead of travel and prepare duplicate document packets in case officers revert to manual stamping.
![Fragomen warns of Schengen C-visa appointment crunch as EES queues persist in Italy]()
At this stage, corporate mobility teams may find value in using third-party facilitation services. VisaHQ, for example, offers real-time visibility into Italian Schengen-visa appointment calendars and can assemble fully compliant application packages on short notice; more information is available at https://www.visahq.com/italy/
Employers should also warn travellers that some Schengen states—including Italy—have reintroduced temporary internal-border checks, meaning passports may be inspected on rail or road legs that used to be control-free. Assignees transferring to Italy for short projects should factor in potential start-date delays and consider alternative entry strategies, such as using a multi-entry national (D) visa if project timelines are uncertain. Mobility teams are further advised to monitor consular website alerts daily; Italy’s outsourced visa-application system now releases "flash" appointment drops outside normal hours, and these vanish within minutes.
At this stage, corporate mobility teams may find value in using third-party facilitation services. VisaHQ, for example, offers real-time visibility into Italian Schengen-visa appointment calendars and can assemble fully compliant application packages on short notice; more information is available at https://www.visahq.com/italy/
Employers should also warn travellers that some Schengen states—including Italy—have reintroduced temporary internal-border checks, meaning passports may be inspected on rail or road legs that used to be control-free. Assignees transferring to Italy for short projects should factor in potential start-date delays and consider alternative entry strategies, such as using a multi-entry national (D) visa if project timelines are uncertain. Mobility teams are further advised to monitor consular website alerts daily; Italy’s outsourced visa-application system now releases "flash" appointment drops outside normal hours, and these vanish within minutes.
