Recently, the Italian Consulate in Bangalore has started issuing notices to report back to the VFS office within 5 days after the trip ends. This seems to be a new step, and while I experienced it with an Italy visa, it may also be introduced by other Schengen countries. Skipping this process could affect your future Schengen visa applications.
The notice reads,
The holder of this Passport must present himself/herself within five days of his/her return to India at either:
– VFS Global Centre where application was submitted
– nearest VFS GLOBAL centrePassport needs to be shown even if travel is cancelled.
Failing to do so may negatively affect future Visa application for travels to the Schengen area.
If you’ve received this, here’s the process to report back.
Where should I report back?
Either at the VFS GLOBAL centre where you submitted your application or the nearest VFS GLOBAL centre that handles applications for that country. For the Italian consulate in Bangalore, this is the VFS Global Italy Visa Application Center.
Do I need an appointment?
No, you can just walk in. Make sure to confirm the timings of your VFS centre (for example, the VFS Italy Visa Center in Bangalore was accepting report back documents between 8 am to 1 pm).
What documents do I need?
Take copies of,
- Passport (front and back page)
- Schengen visa page
- Exit stamp from India (when you leave)
- Entry stamp into the Schengen area
- Exit stamp from the Schengen area
- Entry stamp into India (when you return)
How long does it take?
For reporting back, you can skip the long queues and submit the documents directly. The whole process usually takes less than ten minutes.
Good luck!
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Hey, how were you notified of this? Was it at the VFS center at the time of passport collection or email?
Also did you opt for courier service and because of this – you had to go to the VFS center to collect the passport?
Hi Piyush, the notice was actually pinned to my passport, right next to the visa page. I had opted for the courier return option, so the passport came directly to me — and that’s when I saw the notice attached. It wasn’t sent separately by email or informed at the VFS center.