New Delhi, May 5 -- Paras Sharma in New Delhi lost Rs.2.5 lakh even before his planned holiday in Greece started in 2024. His and his wife's Schengen visa applications were rejected by the Greece embassy.

"This was despite showing genuine hotel and flight bookings, sufficient bank balance, past income tax returns and every other document that was asked. The rejection letter gave a vague reason that travel reasons are not justified," said the 39-year-old businessman. "I didn't try to play smart by submitting dummy reservations but even that didn't help."

Sharma's plight is shared by at least 15% of Indian travellers who apply for visa to Schengen states - an area consisting of 29 European countries. As per data from Atlys, a visa process...