Where Schengen visas are refused most: 2025 ranking by country

In 2025, Schengen States’ consulates decided 12.07 million short-stay visa applications and refused 1.77 million, or 14.6% of those decided. That average hides large gaps: in some countries more than half of applications are refused, in others fewer than one in twenty. This guide sets out the figures the European Commission publishes and explains how to read them.

What these figures measure

Each year the European Commission publishes, by Schengen State and by consulate, how many short-stay visas were applied for, issued and refused. The refusal rate in this guide is the one the Commission uses: visas refused as a share of those issued and refused.

Three limits are worth keeping in mind.

• The figures count applications lodged in a country, of any nationality. A consulate in Dakar or Abu Dhabi also serves foreign residents, so a country’s rate is not the rate for its passport.
• Only short-stay visas (type C) are included. Long-stay visas and residence permits are national and do not appear.
• The statistics do not say why a visa is refused. For the grounds, see the guide to refused visas.

Where refusals are highest

These are the countries with the highest refusal rate in 2025, counting all Schengen States together and only countries with at least 10,000 applications:

• Bangladesh: 54.5%, out of 38,642 applications.
• Guinea: 52.1%, out of 22,335.
• Senegal: 51.9%, out of 71,923.
• Republic of the Congo: 48.7%, out of 25,693.
• Nigeria: 47.9%, out of 113,359.
• Ghana: 46.5%, out of 63,725.
• Pakistan: 45.9%, out of 89,270.
• Angola: 45.4%, out of 72,766.
• Bolivia: 43.4%, out of 16,230.
• Mali: 42.5%, out of 11,336.

Where refusals are lowest

At the other end, with the same 10,000-application minimum: Belarus (2.3%, out of 157,028 applications), China (4.0%, out of 1,915,149), the United States (4.9%, out of 187,033), Saudi Arabia (5.2%, out of 553,967) and Indonesia (5.2%, out of 223,862).

The countries that apply most

Volume changes the picture. The eight countries with the most applications in 2025 were China (1,915,149 applications and a 4.0% refusal rate), Turkey (1,268,376 and 14.6%), India (1,153,748 and 15.8%), Russia (679,425 and 6.4%), Morocco (619,827 and 19.2%), Saudi Arabia (553,967 and 5.2%), the United Kingdom (512,426 and 10.5%) and Algeria (444,577 and 31.3%).

One country, very different rates by State

A country’s rate blends every State that receives applications there, and the gap between them can be wide:

• In Morocco, France refused 10.0% of 295,272 applications and Spain 20.9% of 208,421. Portugal refused 61.0% of 6,919 and Malta 79.1% of 5,867.
• In Algeria, France refused 28.5% of 248,681, Italy 35.4% of 27,838 and the Netherlands 69.5% of 6,509.
• In Pakistan, Germany refused 24.2% of 18,792, France 37.2% of 9,503, Belgium 57.4% of 4,987 and Denmark 78.7% of 5,539.

When a State receives few applications in a country, a handful of cases moves the percentage a lot. The figures for the States with the most volume are steadier.

By State, summing the whole world, the highest 2025 rates among those with more than 100,000 applications were Belgium (26.2%), Portugal (23.4%), Sweden (23.3%) and Denmark (21.7%). Italy (10.8%), Germany (13.1%) and France (14.3%) came in below the average, and Spain was at 14.6%.

You cannot pick the consulate with the fewest refusals

The visa is applied for at the State that corresponds to the trip, not the one that refuses least. Under Article 5 of Regulation (EC) 810/2009, the competent State is the sole destination or, if several are visited, the main destination by length or purpose of stay. Only if that cannot be determined is it the State whose external border is crossed to enter. If the consulate is not competent, it returns the application, refunds the fee and says which consulate is (Art. 18).

Spain in Latin America

These are Spain’s 2025 figures in the five Latin American countries where it received the most applications:

• Bolivia: 46.6% refused, out of 13,790 applications. Page: Bolivia to Spain.
• Haiti: 35.5%, out of 1,447. Page: Haiti to Spain.
• Ecuador: 31.4%, out of 80,504. Page: Ecuador to Spain.
• Dominican Republic: 20.4%, out of 30,256. Page: Dominican Republic to Spain.
• Cuba: 11.6%, out of 20,071. Page: Cuba to Spain.

VisaRadar’s pair pages that need a Schengen visa show the destination State’s figure for the passport’s country when there is a consulate and enough applications.

What to do with these figures

A high rate does not predict your case: it is calculated over every applicant in a country, and those cases are not alike. What is in your hands is the file: the €30,000 insurance, proof of sufficient funds and a documented reason for the trip. The steps are in the guide to applying for the visa.

Frequently asked questions

Which country refuses the most Schengen visas? In 2025, among countries with at least 10,000 applications, Bangladesh had the highest refusal rate (54.5%), followed by Guinea and Senegal. By number of refusals, Turkey (183,196), India (181,111) and Algeria (137,860) led the list, because they submit many more applications.

Is my country’s rate the rate for my passport? No. It counts applications lodged at consulates in that country, of any nationality. It is the best public approximation, but it does not split by passport.

How often is this data updated? The European Commission publishes one edition a year. This guide uses the 2025 edition, published on 28 May 2026.

Guide checked on 27 October 2026. Source: European Commission, Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, “Visa statistics for consulates” (2025 edition, published 28 May 2026), on the page “Short-stay visas issued by Schengen countries”; rates are refused as a share of issued and refused, summing each State’s consulates in each country. Regulation (EC) 810/2009 (Visa Code), Arts. 5 and 18, on EUR-Lex.