Angry Rant of an Indian Passport Holder

Siddhanth Shetty
Sep 6, 2018 · 3 min read

Indian Rupee hits it’s lowest ever mark? WHAT???

Traveling abroad although fun isn’t as easy as it seems. Especially for a holder of an Indian Passport. Apparently there are 49 countries an Indian passport holder can travel to without needing a Visa or getting a Visa on Arrival but I was perplexed to see that one of the countries on that list was India itself.

Michael Palin once said “Once the travel bug bites there is no known antidote, and I know that I shall be happily infected until the end of my life” and it’s held true in my life ever since the travel bug bit me for the second time in my life in 2015. My first international trip was in 2015 and I’ve visited 12 countries since then and I’m on my way to the 13th one next week. But even though this is my third visit to the beautiful multicultural continent of Europe, preparing for this trip has been as frustrating as the first two times.

So here’s what an Indian Passport holder needs to do to travel to Europe. First of all remember that even though the Schengen Visa lets you travel to 26 Schengen countries with the same visa, England, Ireland and Scotland are not included. They require a separate Visa application.

Secondly there are multiple prerequisites to apply for a Schengen Visa. Apparently American Passport holders can just land and get in but the story is drastically different for Indian Passport holders. Before you even think of applying for a Schengen Visa

  1. You should have paid for and reserved all your flight tickets
  2. You should have reserved all your hotels for stay and all the reservations need to be in your name.
  3. You should have a minimum of two hundred to three hundred thousand INR in your account
  4. A detailed and planned itinerary needs to prepared with a cover letter. No traveling on whims there (of course they don’t care once your visa is approved)
  5. 6 months pay slips need to be handy so that they can laugh at the pittance that you’re getting paid
  6. 1 year bank statement is required to show you’re not a beggar from the streets
  7. 3 years Income Tax returns to show that you love your government
  8. Travel Insurance and Medical insurance (because you might get sick and they know you can’t afford their healthcare rates)
  9. Completely filled confusing application form
  10. Letter from your company saying that your leaves have been approved and they have no issues with your travel. (How dare you do ANYTHING without Manager and Company’s approval)
  11. First time applicants need to be available for biometrics verification.

Of course they might ask for your Kula, Gothra, Nakshatra, Kundali, family background, extra curricular activities etc based on their discretion. All in all I think there are fewer background checks when your parents look for a bride / groom for you.

So basically I ended up spending about Rs. 70–80k and ensured that on top of these expenses I saved up at least 200,000 INR before I even applied for my visa with no guarantee of it being approved. And the best part is that the Schengen Visa is valid only for the period of travel and you need to reapply if you decide to travel to Europe again the next year.

And to my luck, the rupee hit a record low on the day I decided to convert my INR to Euros and paid about INR 85.75 per Euro. So basically I pay as much as I pay for a decent Indian meal just to take a leak in a public restroom in Spain. Best time to learn bladder control I tell you.

All said and done I’m still looking forward to my visit to Spain and Germany next week. And also because of my experience with applying for Schengen Visa multiple times, I’ve become somewhat of a advice guru for other fellow devoted travellers to Europe who come to me for advice on applying for visa. Maybe if I start charging Guru Dakshina, I can sponsor my next Europe trip.

Until next time then. Adiós amigos.

    Siddhanth Shetty

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