🇪🇺 Official data · EU consulate statistics
The easiest Schengen country to get a visa from, by nationality
There is no single easiest Schengen country — the answer changes with the passport. Across 52 nationalities and 7,429,094 decisions, the gap between the highest- and lowest-issuing state for the same nationality runs to a median of 20.6 points, and as wide as 56.4 points for Senegal, where Germany issued 74.3% and Portugal 17.9%. The catch: you must apply to the state where you will spend the most nights, so the ranking tells you what to expect — not what to pick.
Source: European Commission — Schengen short-stay visa statistics for consulates (per Schengen state) · retrieved 2026-08.
Widest gaps first
Where the gap is wide, which consulate handles your file matters a great deal. Where it is narrow, it barely matters at all — and that is worth knowing before you rearrange a trip.
| Applying from | Highest | Lowest | Gap | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇸🇳 Senegal | Germany 74.3% | Portugal 17.9% | 56.4pt | 7 |
| 🇲🇦 Morocco | France 90% | Portugal 39% | 51pt | 7 |
| 🇲🇱 Mali | France 85.1% | Netherlands 35.1% | 50pt | 4 |
| 🇺🇬 Uganda | Italy 84.9% | Netherlands 41% | 43.9pt | 4 |
| 🇩🇿 Algeria | France 71.5% | Netherlands 30.5% | 41pt | 7 |
| 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | Italy 98.1% | Netherlands 57.3% | 40.8pt | 6 |
| 🇨🇲 Cameroon | Germany 80.9% | Italy 41.4% | 39.5pt | 4 |
| 🇧🇴 Bolivia | Germany 87.3% | Spain 53.4% | 33.9pt | 3 |
| 🇶🇦 Qatar | France 92% | Greece 58.2% | 33.8pt | 7 |
| 🇯🇴 Jordan | Greece 93.5% | Germany 61.4% | 32.1pt | 6 |
| 🇦🇴 Angola | Italy 71.8% | Netherlands 39.7% | 32.1pt | 6 |
| 🇵🇰 Pakistan | Germany 75.8% | Spain 44.5% | 31.3pt | 7 |
| 🇨🇺 Cuba | Spain 88.4% | Germany 57.1% | 31.3pt | 6 |
| 🇧🇩 Bangladesh | Germany 70% | Italy 39.7% | 30.3pt | 5 |
| 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic | Germany 83% | Netherlands 53.2% | 29.8pt | 5 |
| 🇬🇳 Guinea | Spain 74.2% | France 44.4% | 29.8pt | 3 |
| 🇵🇸 the Palestinian Authority | Germany 88.2% | Netherlands 59% | 29.2pt | 3 |
| 🇱🇧 Lebanon | France 89.6% | Germany 61.4% | 28.2pt | 6 |
| 🇳🇬 Nigeria | Germany 70.8% | Portugal 43.7% | 27.1pt | 6 |
| 🇪🇬 Egypt | France 83.7% | Netherlands 58.3% | 25.4pt | 7 |
| 🇧🇯 Benin | France 71.7% | Netherlands 46.6% | 25.1pt | 3 |
| 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | Germany 86.4% | Italy 61.5% | 24.9pt | 3 |
| 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | Greece 85.9% | Germany 61.8% | 24.1pt | 6 |
| 🇮🇳 India | Germany 89.5% | Greece 66.8% | 22.7pt | 7 |
| 🇬🇭 Ghana | Germany 66.5% | Netherlands 45.3% | 21.2pt | 5 |
| 🇹🇿 Tanzania | Italy 94.8% | Germany 74.2% | 20.6pt | 5 |
| 🇹🇳 Tunisia | France 84.6% | Greece 66.1% | 18.5pt | 7 |
| 🇲🇷 Mauritania | France 69% | Germany 51.1% | 17.9pt | 3 |
| 🇹🇷 Turkey | Portugal 96.5% | Germany 78.8% | 17.7pt | 7 |
| 🇬🇦 Gabon | France 72.2% | Italy 55.5% | 16.7pt | 3 |
| 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | Italy 97.6% | Greece 81.1% | 16.5pt | 7 |
| 🇪🇨 Ecuador | Germany 81.9% | Italy 65.5% | 16.4pt | 4 |
| 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan | Italy 95.1% | Germany 78.7% | 16.4pt | 3 |
| 🇦🇲 Armenia | Italy 93.8% | Greece 78.1% | 15.7pt | 4 |
| 🇮🇷 Iran | France 74.7% | Italy 59.3% | 15.4pt | 6 |
| 🇮🇶 Iraq | Italy 75% | Greece 60% | 15pt | 6 |
| 🇱🇾 Libya | Italy 87.5% | Spain 72.5% | 15pt | 3 |
| 🇲🇿 Mozambique | Spain 94.1% | Netherlands 79.6% | 14.5pt | 6 |
| 🇰🇪 Kenya | Spain 83.1% | Germany 71% | 12.1pt | 6 |
| 🇲🇳 Mongolia | Italy 93.9% | France 81.9% | 12pt | 3 |
| 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan | Greece 97% | Germany 85.7% | 11.3pt | 4 |
| 🇰🇼 Kuwait | France 97.3% | Greece 87% | 10.3pt | 6 |
| 🇴🇲 Oman | Germany 93.6% | Spain 83.4% | 10.2pt | 5 |
| 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan | Greece 97.2% | Germany 88.2% | 9pt | 5 |
| 🇻🇳 Vietnam | Italy 96% | Germany 87.5% | 8.5pt | 6 |
| 🇧🇭 Bahrain | France 94% | Germany 86.1% | 7.9pt | 3 |
| 🇵🇭 the Philippines | Netherlands 96.2% | Germany 88.8% | 7.4pt | 6 |
| 🇿🇦 South Africa | Greece 98.2% | France 91.5% | 6.7pt | 7 |
| 🇮🇩 Indonesia | France 97.3% | Netherlands 92% | 5.3pt | 7 |
| 🇹🇭 Thailand | Spain 97% | Netherlands 92.4% | 4.6pt | 7 |
| 🇨🇳 China | Italy 96.9% | Portugal 92.8% | 4.1pt | 7 |
| 🇧🇾 Belarus | Italy 99.6% | France 95.8% | 3.8pt | 3 |
Applying from your country of residence
Applications are counted where they are lodged, so residents applying on another passport have their own ranking.
Frequently asked questions
Is there one Schengen country that is easiest for everyone?
No, and that is the main finding here. The state with the highest issue rate changes completely by nationality, because each consulate sees a different applicant mix in each country. Across the 52 nationalities on this page the top-ranked state is not the same one twice in a row, and the gap between the best and worst state for a single passport runs to a median of 20.6 points.
Can I choose the country with the best rate?
Generally no. The Visa Code makes the competent state your main destination — judged by the length of stay counted in days, or by the purpose of the stay — and, where no main destination can be determined, the state whose external border you cross first (Article 5). Consulates check the itinerary you submit against the country you applied to: a consulate that is not competent returns the application (Article 18), and a stay whose purpose and conditions are not justified is refused (Article 32).
Does the issuing country change what the visa lets me do?
No. A uniform short-stay visa is valid throughout the Schengen area whichever state issues it, under the same 90-days-in-180 rule. What changes is who assesses the file, how long it takes, and the amount of money each state expects you to show, which is set in national law.
What exactly is being counted?
Uniform short-stay (type C) visas, grouped by the state that decided the application and the country it was lodged in, summed over that state's consulates there. The share shown is issued divided by decided — issued, limited-territorial-validity and not issued — which is the denominator the European Commission uses for its own published refusal rate. Long-stay national visas, which include most student and work routes, are not in this dataset and are not published by nationality anywhere.
