On December 21, 2007, nine new countries will join the Schengen treaty. These countries are: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia and Malta. This means that Schengen visa holders henceforth may travel also to the countries mentioned.

In conjunction with the enlargement of the number of Schengen members now comprising 24 countries, the Council of the European Union in Brussels has informed its members about some changes concerning the obligation of diplomatic and consular missions of member states to consult with the authorities of certain countries before issuing a Schengen visa. 

Due to the above, all visa applications by Bangladeshi nationals for the Schengen countries, as of 23 December, will have to be consulted before the visa can be issued. As a result the waiting period for a visa will be a minimum of  7 calendar days.

Applicants are advised to submit their visa application well in advance!