Schengen visa wait times for Guinean citizens jump to 45 days

Guinean passport holders now face a stricter, slower Schengen visa process after the EU suspended key facilitation rules on July 15.

What changed at the consulate

The Council of the EU adopted Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/1733 on July 10 and published it in the Official Journal on July 15, triggering restrictive visa measures against Guinea under Article 25a of the Schengen Visa Code. It's not a visa ban. Guinean nationals can still apply for short-stay Schengen visas, but consulates have lost the flexibility that usually speeds things up.

Four Visa Code provisions are suspended for Guinean applicants:

• Article 14(6): consulates can no longer waive supporting documents. Every applicant submits the full file, including proof of purpose, accommodation, sufficient funds, travel medical insurance and ties to Guinea.
• Article 23(1): the standard 15-day processing time is gone. The new normal is up to 45 calendar days.
• Article 24(2) and 24(2c): multiple-entry visa facilitation is suspended. Expect single-entry visas as the default.
• Article 16(5)(b): diplomatic and service passport holders lose the optional fee waiver and pay the full €90 short-stay fee.

Brussels applied the measure because Guinea hasn't cooperated on readmission of nationals staying irregularly in the EU.

Who feels it and how to plan

The decision covers Guinean passport holders who need a Schengen short-stay visa for tourism, business, conferences, short courses or remote-work trips of up to 90 days in any 180. Guinean family members of EU citizens exercising free-movement rights are excluded and Guinean nationals already holding a valid EU residence permit keep that status unaffected. The suspension bites only at the short-stay visa counter.

Practically, anyone with Schengen travel planned before October should file now and assume 45 days start to finish. Book one trip at a time rather than counting on a multiple-entry visa for a Europe circuit and carry every original document, since consulates no longer have room to overlook a missing item. Country-specific consular requirements still layer on top and our destination guides track what each Schengen state asks for on the day.