Schengen Countries with the Most Short-Term Visa Applications in 2023

Non-EU nationals residing in the United Kingdom, whose home countries do not have a visa waiver agreement with the Schengen Area, must apply for a visa to travel to the bloc.

As of January 2021, British nationals are subject to immigration rules for third-countries, meaning they can stay a maximum of 90 days within any 180-day period. The visa-free regime applies only to short-term, non-profit stays, such as tourism, visiting friends or family, medical tourism, or attending sporting events.

With Schengen visa appointment wait times running into weeks or even months, it’s hard to get your hands on Schengen visas in time for your planned travel.

According to the latest statistics by the European Commission for 2023 , the number of Schengen Visa applications filed worldwide has increased to 10,327,572 which is 36.3 percent more than the number of applications filed a year before in 2022.

The data from the European Commission reveals that the number of applications remains below 39 percent of pre-pandemic levels, when in 2019 alone 16,955,541 applications were filed.

If you plan to get a Schengen visa this year, it's important to know the most popular countries for applicants so you can plan ahead of your scheduled trip.

In 2023, five Schengen Area Member States collectively received 7.2 million visa applications, accounting for around 70 percent of the total. The number of visas each country received that year is as follows:

France: 2,625,846
Germany: 1,459,560
Spain: 1,413,222
Italy: 1,108,035
Netherlands: 669,291

For years, France and Germany have consistently held the top two positions on this list, with Italy and Spain usually among the next three. In 2022, Greece was listed fifth instead of the Netherlands.

Countries With The Highest Schengen Visa Rejection Rates

Securing a Schengen visa is essential for travel within the 29 European countries in the Schengen Area, serving various purposes like tourism, business, or family visits. However, obtaining it can be challenging, leading to many rejections for applicants.

These countries face high Schengen visa rejection rates due to insufficient documentation, concerns about overstaying, and economic circumstances.

1. Algeria

Total Schengen Visa Applications: 392,053
Schengen Visa Rejected: 179,409
Rejection Rate: 45.8%

2. Guinea-Bissau

Total Schengen Visa Applications: 7,990
Schengen Visa Rejected: 3,611
Rejection Rate: 45.2%

3. Nigeria

Total Schengen Visa Applications: 86,815
Schengen Visa Rejected: 39,189
Rejection Rate: 45.1%

4. Sri Lanka

Total Schengen Visa Applications: 17,594
Schengen Visa Rejected: 7,691
Rejection Rate: 43.7%

5. Ghana

Total Schengen Visa Applications: 42,124
Schengen Visa Rejected: 18,363
Rejection Rate: 43.6%

6. Haiti

Total Schengen Visa Applications: 5,270
Schengen Visa Rejected: 2,655
Rejection Rate: 42.3%

7. Senegal

Total Schengen Visa Applications: 56,866
Schengen Visa Rejected: 23,683
Rejection Rate: 41.6%

8. Guinea

Total Schengen Visa Applications: 11,806
Schengen Visa Rejected: 4,791
Rejection Rate: 40.6%

9. Pakistan

Total Schengen Visa Applications: 76,090
Schengen Visa Rejected: 30,841
Rejection Rate: 40.5%

10. Mali

Total Schengen Visa Applications: 23,117
Schengen Visa Rejected: 9,291
Rejection Rate: 39.9%

According to the EU data, there were a total of 405,631 applications received in the United Kingdom for 2023 with a 5.7% rejection rate.

Here is the data from the EU Commission statistics for 2023.

Schengen State	Uniform visas applied for	Total uniform visas issued (including MEV)	Multiple entry uniform visas (MEVs) issued	Total LTVs issued	Uniform visas not issued	Not issued rate for uniform visas	Share of MEVs
France	2,625,846	2,169,332	791,417	6,312	436,893	16.70%	36.50%
Germany	1,459,560	1,233,561	1,115,424	12,517	208,155	14.30%	90.40%
Spain	1,413,222	1,093,803	297,215	14,139	251,470	18.50%	27.20%
Italy	1,108,035	970,073	680,794	4,467	133,495	12.00%	70.20%
Netherlands	669,291	542,255	326,018	2,146	114,269	17.30%	60.10%
Greece	627,008	521,825	344,668	8,610	91,379	14.70%	66.10%
Switzerland	603,261	506,499	349,862	32,365	64,397	10.70%	69.10%
Austria	229,613	194,273	147,021	2,418	32,922	14.30%	75.70%
Hungary	215,799	183,158	79,105	198	32,641	15.10%	43.20%
Portugal	207,654	173,927	92,414	613	33,220	16.00%	53.10%
Belgium	225,951	166,053	94,854	401	60,148	26.50%	57.10%
Sweden	169,151	123,611	31,732	5,069	38,680	23.10%	25.70%
Czech Republic	138,840	114,058	39,359	552	24,218	17.40%	34.50%
Poland	124,057	105,219	56,103	1,298	18,564	14.80%	53.30%
Norway	108,536	91,079	20,594	1,282	17,457	15.90%	22.60%
Denmark	107,872	79,786	36,576	99	21,509	21.20%	45.80%
Finland	92,078	68,939	14,702	4,034	16,602	18.50%	21.30%
Croatia	38,511	29,785	18,454	376	7,561	20.00%	62.00%
Lithuania	30,668	26,156	15,227	396	3,911	12.80%	58.20%
Iceland	22,541	21,247	8,549	6	474	2.20%	40.20%
Malta	33,306	20,270	8,223	41	12,261	37.60%	40.60%
Latvia	18,897	16,394	9,124	295	2,208	11.70%	55.70%
Slovenia	19,990	12,612	7,529	4,112	3,097	15.60%	59.70%
Slovakia	13,468	11,605	5,943	203	1,752	12.90%	51.20%
Luxembourg	11,227	9,151	5,362	140	1,354	12.70%	58.60%
Estonia	13,190	8,105	4,865	696	4,347	33.10%	60.00%
Grand Total	10,327,572	8,492,776	4,601,134	102,785	1,632,984	16.00%	54.20%

Data from the European Commission, Visa Statistics for Consulates 2023

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