Travelling to Europe is a dream for many, but the journey begins long before the flight – the visa application process. The Schengen Visa is the key to unlocking travel across 26 European countries. While obtaining a Schengen visa can be a straightforward process for many, certain countries have varying rates of approval and historically higher rejection rates. Securing this visa is like a Herculean task, and the thought of undergoing the lengthy process of obtaining it might make you feel tired.

Shedding light on the same, here is a list of countries with the highest Schengen visa rejection rates:

Countries with notable Schengen visa rejection rates

• FranceDespite being one of the most popular tourist destinations with some of the iconic landmarks, the country often has one of the highest rejection rates within the Schengen Area. In 2023, France became the leading country for visa requests, processing around 2.6 million applications. However, it had a rejection rate of approximately 16.7 percent, totalling to 436,893 applications.
• Germany

  As a popular destination for both tourism and work, Germany also has its name in the list of countries with high rejection rates, especially for those seeking longer stays. The country tends to have stricter application standards compared to other Schengen countries. Reports suggest that the German authorities rejected around 208,000 visa applications in 2023. So, if you are planning to apply for a German Schengen visa, make sure you have all papers and documents in place to avoid rejection.

• Italy

  Next on the list is Italy. The country rejected 133,000 Schengen visa applications in 2023. Due to its popularity as a tourist destination, Italy experiences higher demand for visas, leading to increased rejections. Is visiting Italy, Rome, and Venice in your mind? Do ensure to fill all the information carefully in your application to not get stuck in the visa approval process.

• Spain

  Spain, another popular tourist destination, has higher rejection rates, especially during peak travel seasons. In the year 2023, the country turned down around 251,000 visa applications, which is a 15 percent rejection percentage. Though it is not the highest, it still amounts to a sizable number of applicants.

• Belgium

  Being a hub for international diplomacy and business, Belgium has shown higher visa rejection rates. In 2023, the country had a rejection rate of around 26.5 percent.

• Netherlands

  If reports are to go by, the Netherlands saw one of the biggest spikes in the number of visa refusals in 2023. Approximately 114,000 applications were rejected, which indicates a 61.9 percent rise in rejections as compared to 2022.

Other than these 6 countries, Portugal, Sweden, Denmark, and Greece also exhibit higher rates of visa rejections.