The Schengen Area, as you may be aware, is a zone of 26 European countries that have abolished passports and other forms of border control at their mutual borders. Non-EU citizens must obtain a short-term visa to travel within the Schengen Area.
According to a report of SchengenVisaInfo.com in 2021, a total of 379,207 Schengen visa applications were rejected by the Member States, with France, Germany, and Spain rejecting the highest number of applications at 252,522.
Schengen Countries with the Highest Number of Rejected Visa Applications
1. France
In 2021, France denied visas to over 128,000 applications, accounting for over 21% of the 652,331 applications received by its embassies worldwide. This also makes France the EU country with the highest number of applications for short-term visas in 2021.
Despite having the most rejected applications, the Schengen countries with the highest share of rejected applications were Sweden, Norway, France, Denmark, and Belgium.
Sweden had the highest rejection rate of 30.6%, followed by Norway at 26.2%, while France, Denmark, and Belgium had rejection rates of 21.1% and 20.4%, respectively.
2. Spain
In 2021, Spain received 483,469 total visa applications, making it the country with the second-highest number of visa requests. Despite rejecting a smaller proportion of applications (15.5%), Spain rejected as many as 69,863 applications.
3. Germany
Germany received 346,284 applications in 2021 and rejected 53,987 of them. It is also listed third in terms of the highest number of applications lodged at its embassies worldwide.
Must Read: 12 Easiest Countries To Get A Schengen Visa
Countries with the Highest Shares of Rejected Applications
While the three countries mentioned above have the most applications rejected, when it comes to the Schengen nations that have turned down the highest percentages of applications, the list is different. The list is as follows in this regard:
| Country | Number of Applications Received | Percentage of Applications Rejected |
|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 22,260 | 30.6% |
| Norway | 9,895 | 26.2% |
| France | 652,331 | 21.1% |
| Denmark | 26,469 | 21.1% |
| Belgium | 50,796 | 20.4% |
Countries with the Lowest Number of Rejected Applications
In terms of the lowest number of visa rejections, Luxembourg was the top country with only 29 visa rejections out of 2,383 applications received. Slovakia followed with 107 rejections out of 3,886 applications, and Iceland had 259 rejections out of 2,735 applications.
Lowest Shares of Rejected Applications
Luxembourg also had the lowest share of rejected applications at 1.2%, followed by Slovakia with 2.7%, and Lithuania with 2.8%. However, it’s worth noting that these countries received a significantly lower number of applications compared to the three countries with the highest number of visa rejections.
Impact of COVID-19 on Schengen Visa Applications
The number of Schengen visa applications filed at Schengen embassies and consulates worldwide fell by 83% in 2021 compared to 2019, before the Coronavirus pandemic.
Furthermore, the difference in the number of visa applications filed in 2021 versus 2019 is greater than the difference in the number of applications filed in the first year of the pandemic, 2020, and the previous year, when 82.7% fewer applications were filed.
Bottomline
In conclusion, while France, Germany, and Spain had the most rejected Schengen visa applications in 2021, the global decline in visa applications may have contributed to this trend.
It is important to note that visa rejection rates vary across Schengen countries and that the visa rejection rate is only one of the factors considered by authorities when processing visa applications.
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