Vir Das has been forced to reschedule his Dublin performance, originally set for October 7, due to visa issues. Das, currently in Sweden for his show on September 30 as part of his “Mind Fool Tour”, announced that the Swedish Embassy denied his request for a double-entry Schengen visa. Instead, he was granted a single-entry visa, preventing him from traveling to Ireland and re-entering the Schengen zone afterward.
Though Ireland is part of the European Union, it is not a member of the Schengen area, meaning Das would need a new visa to return to Schengen countries after his Dublin performance. The comedian took to social media platform X to express his frustration over the situation, revealing that his tour assistant’s visa was also rejected due to concerns from the Swedish Embassy about his return to India.
Applied for a double entry Schengen. The Swedish embassy in their infinite wisdom give me a single entry one and reject my tour assistant saying they don’t believe he’s going to return to India 🤷♂️ now I have to push a Dublin show because I can’t leave Schengen. What a week!
— Vir Das (@thevirdas) September 28, 2024
“Applied for a double-entry Schengen visa. The Swedish embassy, in their infinite wisdom, gave me a single-entry one and rejected my tour assistant saying they don’t believe he’s going to return to India. Now I have to push a Dublin show because I can’t leave Schengen. What a week!” Das wrote.
His post sparked an outcry against what many perceive as unfair visa policies, with Indian nationals frequently facing higher rejection rates for Schengen visas. Fans and followers on X voiced support for Das, sharing similar experiences of visa challenges, and criticizing the bureaucratic visa processes in Europe.
Several users encouraged Das to include the visa ordeal in his comedy routine, while others offered advice on how to secure a multi-entry visa in the future.
