Denmark's consulate in the UAE has issued a warning over a surge in fraudulent Schengen visa applications as unscrupulous travel agents exploit high demand from summer holidaymakers.
The Danish Consulate General said it was receiving about 10 falsified applications each day, including fake hotel reservations, fabricated flight itineraries and forged travel medical insurance.
Denmark is a popular European getaway for UAE residents, with about 12,000 visa applications lodged from the Emirates annually.
A senior official told The National of the concerns over a rising number of bogus visa applications being prepared by rogue agents, after the consulate highlighted the issue on its Facebook page this week.
“The Danish Consulate General is receiving approximately 10 visa applications per day where the documentation is fraudulent or falsified,” Hanne-Rie Madsen, deputy head of mission and consul at the Royal Danish Consulate General, told The National.
“In accordance with EU Schengen regulations, the Consulate General refuses visa applications with falsified documents.”
The Schengen visa allows entry to 29 European countries, most of which are in the EU, to non EU-nationals.
Emiratis do not need a visa to visit Schengen countries, but UAE residents from several countries in Asia, Africa and South America must apply.
The consulate's Facebook post, published on Tuesday, gave examples of the fraud it is encountering: hotel reservation QR codes that refer to a different person, the wrong country or the wrong date; reservations that were never made or were cancelled before the application arrived; itineraries listing non-existent flight numbers; and travel insurance documents with QR codes that relate to a different person's policy.
“Even experienced and wealthy travellers with previous travel history to Schengen are submitting fraudulent documents,” the post read. “Therefore, we are forced to refuse these visa applications.”
Ms Madsen said the consulate had published the warning to raise awareness. “All visa applicants are advised to submit complete and truthful applications,” she added.
The consulate warns travellers against using travel agents and websites offering “dummy air ticket” services, reminding applicants that they are responsible for the documents submitted.
A dummy air ticket is a temporary booking made with an airline, complete with flight details and a legitimate passenger name record (PNR) code.
It has not been paid for and cannot be used to board a flight, but is viewed as a placeholder for applicants wary of paying in full before securing their visa.
Such bookings are prone to fraudulent activity, including Photoshopped PDFs and the creation of fake PNRs.
Why applicants resort to fake documents
Travel agents and holidaymakers say the spike in fraudulent applications reflects a broader frustration with how difficult the visa process has become, particularly since diplomatic staffing was reduced following the outbreak of conflict in the region.
Ipshita Sharma, a UAE travel agent, says dummy bookings have existed for years but they are getting more prevalent as visa appointments become increasingly difficult to secure.
“It's so, so, so hard to get visa appointments,” she said. “A lot of consular staff were sent home during the war and asked to return after September.”
The problem, she says, is partly structural. “People don't want to take a chance on flight bookings if they won't get the visa. It's really a matter of what comes first, the chicken or the egg, because they won't get a visa without the proper flight bookings.”
Most European countries advise against booking flights and hotels before receiving visa approval, which means travellers must include information on intended travel plans, with proof of flight numbers, dates and times.
However, Ms Sharma says dummy bookings like these result in rejections about 80 per cent of the time, in her experience. Instead, she advises booking cancellable tickets to the destination of the embassy or consulate you’re applying via.
“No matter how tempting, stay away from dummy bookings," she said.
“Get free cancellation bookings. Don't go in with the mindset that you will be rejected. Why would you be rejected if your documentation is correct? They want you to visit their country.”
Process tests patience
UAE resident Kumar Motwani has been trying to get appointments with the German and Italian consulates since late May and has not received any acknowledgement that his applications are being processed.
His children, who are applying for master's degree programmes in countries across Europe and Switzerland, are facing the same silence. He said he suspects the regional instability and his Indian passport are factors in the delays.
However, another Indian passport holder, Parisa Chum, has had a very different experience. Ms Chum successfully applied via Denmark. “Denmark's visa officers were super efficient and helped get our documents in order on the day and processed everything so quickly,” she said. She would use Denmark as her entry point again.
How to apply legitimately
For UAE residents seeking a Danish Schengen visa, the correct route is through VFS Global, the application centre authorised by the consulate. Appointments can be booked at vfsglobal.com, on a first-come, first-served basis. VFS Global does not sell visa appointment slots.
The company runs the #DoNotFallForFraud campaign, warning applicants about common scam tactics, such as fraudsters who claim to sell appointments, unofficial websites mimicking VFS portals and agents who promise guaranteed visas. VFS Global has no role in visa decisions, which rest solely with the consulate.
The Danish consulate's guidance is straightforward. Applicants are responsible for every document they submit, regardless of whether a travel agent prepared the paperwork. Signing the visa application form means signing a declaration that all information is truthful – and, as the consulate's Facebook post made clear, false statements lead directly to refusal.
“You are responsible for all documents handed in,” the consulate warned, “and signing the visa application form, which states that any false statements will lead to a refusal of a visa application. It is your responsibility to check the documents are genuine and accurate.”
