Options 360 CEO Kapil Dhama's 400-page Schengen visa application is viral, ignited 'Power of Passport' debate | Today news

Travel documents needed to obtain foreign countries visas can become a problem for many, and the founder and CEO of options 360, Kapil Dhama, recently showed his problems while getting the procedure to reach a Schengen visa. In a social media post, Dhama shared a photo of his nearly 400-page application for a Schengen visa, and it created a debate on the power of the Indian passport. Dhama, written on X, said: ‘Nearly 400 pages application for Schengen Visa. The right passport, ‘he wrote. Schengen Visa One can see a thick stack of A4 -sized papers, which according to Dhama is the documents needed for a Schengen visa application. His post has become viral with more than 3.5 lakh views on X. About Schengen Visa: A Schengen visa is required by an individual from outside the European Union, who seeks a temporary stay in a country in the Schengen zone, which includes 30 European countries. Dhama added that he applied for a Schengen visa through VFS. According to details, VFS, a private agency, helps governments to deal with visa applications by acting as middlers between travelers and embassies. A traveler can submit his or her documents, biometry (fingerprints, photo), and sometimes even attend visa interview at a VFS office instead of directly at the embassy. Debate about the image: A few X users raised doubts about the authenticity of the entrepreneur’s claims. They said their own Schengen visa applications were processed, but this amount of paperwork was not needed. “Everyone who shows these bundles will not say 90-95% of these are just bank statements of the past 6 months (useless activity). Thanks to UPI, everyone has a very large number of transactions,” X-user Ayush wrote. “Applied and Recd Multiple 5 -Year Schengens -Dutch online application and supporting documents were of exactly 10 pages, Austrian physical application form and supporting documents Total 25 pages. 400 is a crook!” another person added. ‘Cap. Half of it is definitely your bank statements. I have applied several times for a Schengen visa, tourist, visitor – everything and I never have to submit so many documents, ‘a person claimed. ‘I filled in a 10 -page form last year and got a 30 -day tourist visa within 5 days (via French embassy). Maybe 390 pages have been added in shape over the past few months, ‘said X user Vikas. First published: 27 Apr 2025, 04:15 IST