Schengen Visa Rejected? You’re Not Alone, Nearly 50% Requests Were Rejected By These Countries!

by Tejashee Kashyap
Schengen Visa Rejected? You’re Not Alone, Nearly 50% Requests Were Rejected By These Countries!

Obtaining a Schengen Visa can be difficult for some people. And now, the Schengen visa statistics for 2022 indicate that Indian tourists submitted more than 6 lakh visa applications in 2022, ranking third globally, but they also had a high refusal rate of 18%. Well, looks like obtaining a Schengen Visa can be challenging, especially for these countries.

These Three Countries Rejected The Most Of Requests From India

Image Credits: Canva

According to Schengen visa statistics for 2022, the countries that denied the most Indian applicants were Estonia, Malta, and Slovenia, while Germany, Italy, and Hungary provided the best service.  In 2022, Estonia cancelled 56% of 1,986 applications for visas from India, which was the highest percentage. Malta rejected 506 out of 1,220 visa requests, or 45% of them. Of the 2,732 visas that Slovenia denied, 44.5%.

Well, there were a number of other countries rejecting a number of Indian visas. Switzerland turned down 13,984 visa applications in 2022, despite the nation’s total rejection rate being 13%, much lower than the norm. Spain denied 14,852 or 18.5% of visas, while France rejected 19.9% of visas. Austria had a 24% rejection rate, Greece turned down 34.7% of requests and Portugal rejected 29.9%.

Also Read: Woman Shows The Soul-Crushing Reality Of Applying For A Schengen Visa; Tweeple Sympathise

So, Which Countries Are Best For Indians For Schengen Visas?

Image Credits: Canva

The 26 countries that are part of the Schengen Area are Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Obtaining this visa can be difficult because the application process can be complicated and requires a lot of supporting documentation. According to the statistics for 2022, Germany, Italy and Hungary were the most accommodating. Germany denied only eight out of 6,345 applications for Schengen visas at the Bengaluru consulate, one application in Kolkata, and two applications in Chennai.  The following two countries were Italy and Hungary, with rejection rates of 11.5% (794 of 6,909 denied visas) and 12.1% (1,098 of 9,046 rejected visas), respectively.

The visa is valid for a maximum of 90 days within a 180-day period. This means that travellers can enter the Schengen Area multiple times during the validity of their visa, as long as they do not exceed a total stay of 90 days within a 180-day period.

Did you apply for Schengen Visa? How was your experience?

Cover image credits: Flickr