1 in 6 Indian Schengen visa requests rejected in 2024; 936,748 approved

India was the third-largest source of Schengen visa applications in 2024, submitting 1.1 million requests, according to data released by the European Commission on May 16. Of these, 936,748 visas were granted, while 165,266 were refused — putting India’s rejection rate at 15%.

 

The approval rate stood at 84.5%. Among those approved, nearly 63% received multiple-entry visas (MEVs), which allow travel in and out of the Schengen area multiple times within the visa’s validity.

 

China and Turkey ahead of India

 

China filed the highest number of Schengen visa applications in 2024 at 1.78 million, receiving 1.69 million approvals. This gave it a low rejection rate of 4.6%. About 34% of successful Chinese applicants were issued MEVs.

 

Turkey was next with 1.17 million applications. Of these, 993,875 were approved and 170,129 were rejected, resulting in a rejection rate of 14.5%. Turkey had a high MEV share at 65%.

 

Where other countries stand

 

< Morocco filed just over 600,000 applications, with a rejection rate of around 20%.

< Russia submitted a similar number of applications but had a lower rejection rate of 7.5%.

< Algeria’s 540,000 applications saw a 35% rejection rate — one of the highest among the top ten.

< Saudi Arabia had 500,000 applications and a low 5.9% rejection rate. It issued MEVs in over 92% of successful cases — the highest MEV share in the top ten.

< The UAE’s rejection rate stood at 23.8%. In contrast, the UK and Thailand both had rejection rates below 7%.

 

Global rejection rate at 14.8%

 

Across the world, 11.7 million uniform Schengen visa applications were filed in 2024. Of these, 9.79 million were approved, putting the global average rejection rate at 14.8%. More than half of all successful applicants received MEVs. In 2023, the global total stood at 10.3 million applications.

 

France received most applications, led in rejections

 

France remained the most popular destination for Schengen visa seekers, handling 3.07 million applications in 2024. It approved 2.54 million, with a rejection rate of 15.8% — higher than the Schengen average.

 

The largest group of applicants for France were from Algeria (352,295), followed by Morocco (282,153) and India (197,959).

 

Spain overtook Germany for the second spot with 1.6 million applications. Germany, previously in the top two, received 1.5 million applications in 2024.

 

Spain’s rejection rate was 15.7%, while Germany’s was slightly lower at 13.7%.

 

Countries with the most rejections

 

The five Schengen countries with the highest number of rejected applications were:

 

France – 481,139

Spain – 244,432

Germany – 206,733

Italy – 134,303

Netherlands – 111,209

 

Countries with the highest rejection rates

 

The top five rejection rates were recorded in:

 

Bangladesh – 54.9%

Pakistan – 47.5%

Guinea-Bissau – 47%

Senegal – 46.8%

Haiti – 46.3%

 

Malta had the highest rejection share by consulate, followed by Belgium and Sweden.

 

What is Schengen visa?

 

A Schengen visa is an entry permit issued by a Schengen area member state, allowing non-EU nationals to travel to and stay within the Schengen area for a short period, usually up to 90 days in any 180-day period. It allows for tourism, business, visiting family, medical treatment, short-term studies, or other non-gainful activities. The visa is valid for all Schengen countries, but you must apply from the country where you will spend the most time.