Schengen States Reject 1.6 Million Visas in 2023, Generating €130 Million in Funds

Schengen states rejected a total of 1.6 million visa applications in 2023, resulting in €130 million in generated funds. Some countries of origin experienced higher rejection rates due to their large volume of applications, such as Türkiye. However, other countries had higher rejection rates in proportion to their applications, with Comoros being a notable example. The majority of nationalities with higher rejection rates are from Africa and Asia.

Top 5 Nationalities with Most Rejected Visas in 2023

The cost of a Schengen visa application until early June was €80. While some applicants secured their visas and proceeded with their travel plans, others ended up paying for the application and additional fees without receiving a visa, leading to "wasted money." The nationalities that lost the most money due to rejected visa applications are:

- Turks: €13.5 million spent

- Algerians: €13.3 million spent

- Indians: €12.1 million spent

- Moroccans: €10.9 million spent

- Chinese: €4.8 million spent

Turkish nationals had 169,514 visa applications denied, while Algerians faced the same number of rejections. Indian applicants saw 151,752 requests rejected, and out of 591,000 visa applications from Moroccans, 136,367 were denied. Chinese nationals had 60,554 visa applications refused, despite China having one of the highest approval rates for the year.

Top 5 Nationalities with Highest Rejection Rates in 2023

Rejection rates represent the proportion of visas rejected relative to the total number of applications. The top five nationalities with the highest rejection rates in 2023 are:

- Comoroians: 57.7 percent rejection rate

- Pakistanis: 48.2 percent rejection rate

- Bissau-Guineans: 47.9 percent rejection rate

- Ghanaians: 46.7 percent rejection rate

- Malians: 46.4 percent rejection rate

In terms of money wasted on denied visas, Comoroians spent €173,920, with 2,174 rejected visas. Pakistanis had the highest expenditure, totaling €3.3 million. Bissau-Guineans spent €210,720, while Ghanaians wasted €1.6 million, and Malians spent €770,960 on visa applications that were ultimately rejected.

By fLEXI tEAM