UK · Action planAn empty calendar usually does not mean there are no appointments. It means the last ones released were taken before you looked. Dates are released without a schedule and are usually gone within minutes. This plan goes through what actually gets people a date, in order.
The routes people use to get a Schengen appointment from the UK
Your options include an alert for your destination and centre (Visard), auto-booking (Visard), a different UK centre (VFS Global), and a different destination country (European Commission rule) or an emergency appointment (Visa Code). Which of them is open to you depends on your destination, where you live and your travel plans, set out below.
Visard reports an average wait of 4 to 7 days to get an appointment, though the wait can be longer during peak periods.
| Route | What has to be true before you can use it | How the date reaches you | What it costs |
|---|---|---|---|
| An alert for your route | Your destination is one of the 20 Visard covers from the UK | A Telegram alert within a second of a date appearing, which you then book yourself | Visard charges £35 for one destination or £65 for all destinations it covers. Both options last 31 days, include everyone travelling with you, and do not auto-renew |
| Auto-booking for your route | Your destination is among the 14 for which Visard offers auto-booking | Visard books the date for you, within the city and date range you set | Visard charges £100 for the first applicant and £50 for each additional one, after booking. You pay the centre's fee upfront and receive a refund if Visard does not secure a booking |
| A different UK centre | Your address qualifies you for that centre. On the Portugal route, for example, VFS Global assigns Manchester or Edinburgh to residents of certain counties | You check that centre's calendar directly | Check the centre's published fee |
| A different destination country | Under European Commission rules, apply at the consulate of the country where you will spend the most time. If your stays are equal, apply where you first enter | You check with that country's consulate | If you apply to a country that is not your main destination, the consulate may return your application and identify the correct one |
| An emergency appointment at the consulate | Your case qualifies as urgent under the Visa Code, which lets a consulate waive the appointment requirement or offer an immediate one | The consulate decides, case by case | Ask the consulate about its fee |
Some UK centres also sell a Prime Time Appointment through VFS Global, which VFS describes as submitting your application “beyond the normal processing hours.”
VFS Global's own fraud notice says appointment availability is at the sole discretion of the consulate, and warns against paying extra fees to get an appointment.
Compare UK alert services, side by side.
1. Why the calendar is empty: a timing problem, not a supply problem
Visa centres do not drip appointments out evenly. Dates appear at irregular times, and on a busy route a new date is booked within a minute. If you look at 3 pm you see an empty calendar and conclude there is nothing; what you are seeing is the gap between releases. The people who get appointments are usually the ones who were told the moment one appeared.
2. Check all three systems, and know which one your destination uses
From the UK, Schengen appointments run on three separate systems, each with its own calendar and account. If you have been checking the wrong site, the calendar was never going to fill.
| System | Destinations from the UK | Centres |
|---|---|---|
| TLScontact | France and Germany (listed, but not currently covered by Visard from the UK) | France: London, Manchester, Edinburgh. Germany: London, Manchester |
| BLS International | Spain | London, Manchester, Edinburgh |
| VFS Global | Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia | London, Manchester, Edinburgh (some London only) |
3. Check Manchester and Edinburgh, not only London
Most destinations are served from more than one UK city and availability is not synchronised between them. Centres are assigned by where you live, so check the destination's jurisdiction page before booking a date in another city; a booking outside your region is usually refused at the desk.
London
The most slots and by far the most applicants. Every system and every destination.
Manchester
Fewer dates, far fewer people. VFS, TLScontact and BLS all run a centre; some VFS destinations are London-only. Addresses and destinations: Schengen visa appointments in Manchester.
Edinburgh
TLScontact (France), BLS (Spain, for applicants in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the north of England) and VFS Global for most others, including Switzerland. Germany has no Edinburgh centre. Addresses and destinations: Schengen visa appointment in Edinburgh.
