🇪🇺 Official data · 2025
Schengen visa refusal rates by country — 2025 official figures
Across the 127 countries with meaningful application volume, 14.6% of Schengen short-stay applications were not issued in 2025 — 1,768,370 refusals out of 12,071,043 decided applications. The highest rate was Comoros at 55%, the lowest Costa Rica at 0.2%. Refusals are concentrated: applicants in West and Central Africa and South Asia face rates several times those in East Asia or the Gulf. Every figure is the European Commission's own, shown against 2024.
Source: European Commission — Schengen short-stay visa statistics for consulates · published 28 May 2026 · restated without adjustment.
Highest and lowest refusal rates, 2025
Countries lodging fewer than 300 applications are excluded — with small volumes a handful of refusals swings the percentage wildly.
Highest
- 1 Comoros 55%
- 2 Bangladesh 54.5%
- 3 Guinea-Bissau 54.3%
- 4 Burundi 53.4%
- 5 Guinea 52.1%
- 6 Senegal 51.9%
- 7 Congo (Brazzaville) 48.7%
- 8 Nigeria 47.9%
- 9 Ghana 46.5%
- 10 Pakistan 45.9%
- 11 Angola 45.4%
- 12 Bolivia 43.4%
Lowest
- 1 Costa Rica 0.2%
- 2 Denmark 1.3%
- 3 Austria 1.3%
- 4 Venezuela 2.2%
- 5 Germany 2.3%
- 6 Belarus 2.3%
- 7 Hong Kong S.A.R. 2.8%
- 8 Namibia 3%
- 9 Australia 3%
- 10 Ireland 3.1%
- 11 Sao Tome and Principe 3.8%
- 12 China 4%
Which Schengen state refused most, 2025
Aggregated over each state's own consulates worldwide. Read it as a description of who applies where, not a leniency table — you must apply to your main destination regardless.
Biggest movers, 2024 → 2025
Got harder
- Angola 28.9% → 45.4% +16.5
- Sweden 12.9% → 29.3% +16.4
- Burundi 40% → 53.4% +13.4
- Brazil 10.9% → 23.6% +12.7
- Greece 15.9% → 28.5% +12.6
- Guinea 41.1% → 52.1% +11
- Congo (Democratic Republic) 29.9% → 40.1% +10.2
- Eritrea 28.7% → 38.8% +10.1
- Cape Verde 13.4% → 21.4% +8
- Malaysia 23.8% → 30.8% +7
Got easier
- Colombia 35.1% → 10.1% -25
- Haiti 46.3% → 34.8% -11.5
- Nepal 35.1% → 24.5% -10.6
- Comoros 62.8% → 55% -7.8
- Peru 24.4% → 16.9% -7.5
- Argentina 18.1% → 11.1% -7
- Sri Lanka 35.4% → 29.1% -6.3
- Venezuela 8.4% → 2.2% -6.2
- Djibouti 37.8% → 32.4% -5.4
- Chad 36.2% → 31.2% -5
Full table — every country of application
| Country of application | Decided | Issued | Refused 2025 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albania | 1,296 | 1,226 | 5.4% | 9% | -3.6 |
| Algeria | 440,989 | 303,129 | 31.3% | 35% | -3.7 |
| Angola | 72,078 | 39,366 | 45.4% | 28.9% | +16.5 |
| Argentina | 1,063 | 945 | 11.1% | 18.1% | -7 |
| Armenia | 110,900 | 98,819 | 10.9% | 12.3% | -1.4 |
| Australia | 19,145 | 18,569 | 3% | 3.1% | -0.1 |
| Austria | 375 | 370 | 1.3% | 0.8% | +0.5 |
| Azerbaijan | 103,626 | 93,496 | 9.8% | 9.7% | +0.1 |
| Bahrain | 25,036 | 22,355 | 10.7% | 10.8% | -0.1 |
| Bangladesh | 38,353 | 17,435 | 54.5% | 54.9% | -0.4 |
| Belarus | 156,444 | 152,792 | 2.3% | 3.5% | -1.2 |
| Benin | 15,372 | 10,761 | 30% | 25.1% | +4.9 |
| Bolivia | 16,588 | 9,397 | 43.4% | 42.1% | +1.3 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2,986 | 2,822 | 5.5% | 3.7% | +1.8 |
| Botswana | 1,497 | 1,336 | 10.8% | — | — |
| Brazil | 2,450 | 1,872 | 23.6% | 10.9% | +12.7 |
| Burkina Faso | 8,727 | 7,065 | 19% | 22.5% | -3.5 |
| Burundi | 5,178 | 2,413 | 53.4% | 40% | +13.4 |
| Cambodia | 14,077 | 11,599 | 17.6% | 15.7% | +1.9 |
| Cameroon | 56,914 | 33,963 | 40.3% | 38.1% | +2.2 |
| Canada | 43,620 | 39,706 | 9% | 5% | +4 |
| Cape Verde | 27,533 | 21,644 | 21.4% | 13.4% | +8 |
| Central African Republic | 3,314 | 2,193 | 33.8% | 32.5% | +1.3 |
| Chad | 8,023 | 5,522 | 31.2% | 36.2% | -5 |
| Chile | 1,699 | 1,237 | 27.2% | 23.2% | +4 |
| China | 1,904,861 | 1,828,206 | 4% | 4.6% | -0.6 |
| Colombia | 883 | 794 | 10.1% | 35.1% | -25 |
| Comoros | 2,462 | 1,107 | 55% | 62.8% | -7.8 |
| Congo (Brazzaville) | 25,166 | 12,900 | 48.7% | 43% | +5.7 |
| Congo (Democratic Republic) | 51,133 | 30,625 | 40.1% | 29.9% | +10.2 |
| Costa Rica | 423 | 422 | 0.2% | 2.3% | -2.1 |
| Cote D'Ivoire | 82,492 | 56,523 | 31.5% | 33.8% | -2.3 |
| Cuba | 37,226 | 29,125 | 21.8% | 19.6% | +2.2 |
| Cyprus | 12,693 | 12,052 | 5.1% | 7.5% | -2.4 |
| Denmark | 2,156 | 2,128 | 1.3% | 0.7% | +0.6 |
| Djibouti | 4,332 | 2,928 | 32.4% | 37.8% | -5.4 |
| Dominican Republic | 50,920 | 37,395 | 26.6% | 27.8% | -1.2 |
| Ecuador | 103,277 | 71,399 | 30.9% | 29.6% | +1.3 |
| Egypt | 224,918 | 170,564 | 24.2% | 25.7% | -1.5 |
| Equatorial Guinea | 9,380 | 6,335 | 32.5% | 28.6% | +3.9 |
| Eritrea | 5,774 | 3,534 | 38.8% | 28.7% | +10.1 |
| Ethiopia | 25,458 | 16,801 | 34% | 36.1% | -2.1 |
| Gabon | 17,283 | 12,240 | 29.2% | 26.5% | +2.7 |
| Georgia | 10,538 | 9,087 | 13.8% | 14.2% | -0.4 |
| Germany | 354 | 346 | 2.3% | 3% | -0.7 |
| Ghana | 63,142 | 33,788 | 46.5% | 45.5% | +1 |
| Greece | 431 | 308 | 28.5% | 15.9% | +12.6 |
| Guinea | 22,135 | 10,604 | 52.1% | 41.1% | +11 |
| Guinea-Bissau | 6,025 | 2,751 | 54.3% | — | — |
| Haiti | 3,309 | 2,158 | 34.8% | 46.3% | -11.5 |
| Hong Kong S.A.R. | 15,837 | 15,398 | 2.8% | 2.6% | +0.2 |
| India | 1,148,001 | 966,890 | 15.8% | 15% | +0.8 |
| Indonesia | 221,124 | 209,620 | 5.2% | 4.3% | +0.9 |
| Iran | 104,957 | 74,403 | 29.1% | 26% | +3.1 |
| Iraq | 69,123 | 45,431 | 34.3% | 34% | +0.3 |
| Ireland | 30,371 | 29,440 | 3.1% | 1.8% | +1.3 |
| Israel | 30,922 | 25,204 | 18.5% | 16.8% | +1.7 |
| Jamaica | 5,263 | 4,906 | 6.8% | — | — |
| Japan | 15,945 | 15,025 | 5.8% | 5.3% | +0.5 |
| Jordan | 72,764 | 57,226 | 21.4% | 21.4% | 0 |
| Kazakhstan | 179,758 | 163,464 | 9.1% | 9% | +0.1 |
| Kenya | 76,271 | 51,044 | 33.1% | 29.1% | +4 |
| Kosovo | 1,519 | 1,373 | 9.6% | 10% | -0.4 |
| Kuwait | 145,611 | 137,333 | 5.7% | 6.7% | -1 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 30,712 | 27,345 | 11% | 14.3% | -3.3 |
| Laos | 4,488 | 4,129 | 8% | 11.7% | -3.7 |
| Lebanon | 118,007 | 97,595 | 17.3% | 16.9% | +0.4 |
| Libya | 43,822 | 37,001 | 15.6% | 19.2% | -3.6 |
| Macao S.A.R. | 343 | 315 | 8.2% | — | — |
| Madagascar | 16,863 | 11,815 | 29.9% | 31.2% | -1.3 |
| Malaysia | 7,252 | 5,017 | 30.8% | 23.8% | +7 |
| Mali | 11,106 | 6,390 | 42.5% | 42.9% | -0.4 |
| Mauritania | 23,301 | 14,683 | 37% | 32.5% | +4.5 |
| Mauritius | 728 | 669 | 8.1% | 5.6% | +2.5 |
| Mexico | 2,514 | 2,375 | 5.5% | 5.3% | +0.2 |
| Moldova | 2,185 | 2,034 | 6.9% | 5.5% | +1.4 |
| Mongolia | 21,943 | 18,667 | 14.9% | 17% | -2.1 |
| Montenegro | 4,668 | 4,241 | 9.1% | 9.4% | -0.3 |
| Morocco | 595,748 | 481,428 | 19.2% | 20.1% | -0.9 |
| Mozambique | 21,592 | 18,566 | 14% | 7.5% | +6.5 |
| Myanmar | 7,366 | 6,103 | 17.1% | 17.3% | -0.2 |
| Namibia | 4,502 | 4,365 | 3% | — | — |
| Nepal | 7,059 | 5,333 | 24.5% | 35.1% | -10.6 |
| Netherlands | 1,045 | 999 | 4.4% | 6.9% | -2.5 |
| New Zealand | 2,743 | 2,618 | 4.6% | 3.6% | +1 |
| Niger | 2,973 | 2,439 | 18% | 16.7% | +1.3 |
| Nigeria | 110,956 | 57,760 | 47.9% | 45.9% | +2 |
| North Macedonia | 2,643 | 2,505 | 5.2% | 4.9% | +0.3 |
| Oman | 52,838 | 47,272 | 10.5% | 9.7% | +0.8 |
| Pakistan | 87,247 | 47,221 | 45.9% | 47.5% | -1.6 |
| Palestinian Authority | 5,027 | 4,188 | 16.7% | 11.8% | +4.9 |
| Panama | 1,368 | 1,280 | 6.4% | 4.3% | +2.1 |
| Peru | 1,068 | 887 | 16.9% | 24.4% | -7.5 |
| Philippines | 234,367 | 218,122 | 6.9% | 6.1% | +0.8 |
| Qatar | 101,724 | 86,383 | 15.1% | 15.9% | -0.8 |
| Russian Federation | 673,558 | 630,605 | 6.4% | 7.5% | -1.1 |
| Rwanda | 8,182 | 5,133 | 37.3% | 32.5% | +4.8 |
| Sao Tome and Principe | 8,822 | 8,485 | 3.8% | 0.9% | +2.9 |
| Saudi Arabia | 550,463 | 521,996 | 5.2% | 5.9% | -0.7 |
| Senegal | 71,318 | 34,338 | 51.9% | 46.8% | +5.1 |
| Serbia | 19,456 | 18,340 | 5.7% | 6.3% | -0.6 |
| Singapore | 38,943 | 36,946 | 5.1% | 4.2% | +0.9 |
| South Africa | 194,250 | 184,047 | 5.3% | 5.7% | -0.4 |
| South Korea | 5,061 | 4,478 | 11.5% | 11% | +0.5 |
| Sri Lanka | 25,552 | 18,121 | 29.1% | 35.4% | -6.3 |
| Suriname | 21,197 | 18,626 | 12.1% | 16.9% | -4.8 |
| Sweden | 8,654 | 6,118 | 29.3% | 12.9% | +16.4 |
| Syria | 3,129 | 2,282 | 27.1% | 27% | +0.1 |
| Taiwan | 1,670 | 1,561 | 6.5% | 5.6% | +0.9 |
| Tajikistan | 4,255 | 2,833 | 33.4% | 36.3% | -2.9 |
| Tanzania | 16,184 | 13,067 | 19.3% | 20.1% | -0.8 |
| Thailand | 263,374 | 247,830 | 5.9% | 6.2% | -0.3 |
| Togo | 10,306 | 6,158 | 40.2% | 36.5% | +3.7 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 430 | 408 | 5.1% | 2.1% | +3 |
| Tunisia | 186,741 | 150,068 | 19.6% | 21.7% | -2.1 |
| Türkiye | 1,255,524 | 1,072,328 | 14.6% | 14.5% | +0.1 |
| Turkmenistan | 8,831 | 7,610 | 13.8% | 8.3% | +5.5 |
| Uganda | 20,398 | 12,884 | 36.8% | 35.7% | +1.1 |
| Ukraine | 7,030 | 6,280 | 10.7% | 13.9% | -3.2 |
| United Arab Emirates | 294,849 | 223,588 | 24.2% | 23.8% | +0.4 |
| United Kingdom | 506,166 | 452,768 | 10.5% | 6.9% | +3.6 |
| Usa | 187,232 | 178,038 | 4.9% | 4% | +0.9 |
| Uzbekistan | 61,318 | 51,335 | 16.3% | 15.2% | +1.1 |
| Venezuela | 679 | 664 | 2.2% | 8.4% | -6.2 |
| Vietnam | 115,632 | 104,716 | 9.4% | 10.8% | -1.4 |
| Zambia | 2,614 | 2,322 | 11.2% | — | — |
| Zimbabwe | 9,507 | 8,046 | 15.4% | 16.2% | -0.8 |
Uniform (short-stay, type C) visas. Rows are grouped by the country in which the Schengen consulate is located — i.e. where the application was lodged — not by the applicant's passport, so a row is a close but imperfect proxy for nationality. The published "not issued" rate is uniform visas not issued divided by uniform visas applied for. 2025 figures were released on 28 May 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Which country has the highest Schengen visa refusal rate in 2025?
Among countries lodging at least 300 applications, Comoros had the highest not-issued rate at 55%, followed by Bangladesh (54.5%) and Guinea-Bissau (54.3%). Across every country in this table 14.6% of applications were not issued.
Is this by nationality or by where you apply?
By where you apply. The European Commission groups its consulate statistics by the country the Schengen consulate sits in — so the figure for a country describes everyone who applied there, including foreign residents, and excludes its own citizens who applied from somewhere else. For most people the two coincide, but it is why we call it "country of application" rather than nationality.
Which Schengen country refuses the fewest visas?
Across the states we track, Italy not-issued the smallest share of the applications lodged at its consulates in 2025 (10.8% of 1,331,992 decided), and Portugal the largest (23.3%). That mostly reflects who applies where — a consulate serving a low-risk applicant pool will refuse less — so it is not a leniency ranking, and you must in any case apply to your main destination.
Does a refused application mean the visa fee is lost?
Yes. The €90 short-stay fee covers processing the application, not the outcome, and it is not refunded on refusal. You can appeal to the state that refused you, or reapply addressing the stated ground — but each new application means a new fee.
How current is this data?
The European Commission published the 2025 consulate statistics on 28 May 2026. It is released once a year, so 2025 is the latest complete year available. We restate the published figures and link the source spreadsheet.
