Every year, France and Germany receive thousands of visa applications filed by Indian nationals. Together with Switzerland, the three countries represent important destinations for Indians seeking to obtain a Schengen visa.
However, despite receiving a high number of visa applications, these countries do not necessarily have high approval rates. Based on statistics published by Schengen Visa Info, France received 176,237 visa applications by Indians in 2023, Schengen.News reports.
In addition, Germany received 132,825 visa applications, taking the total number that the two countries received to 309,602, which is 31.9 per cent of all visa applications filed during this year.
France Is More Likely to Turn Down Indians’ Visa Applications
To answer the question of which of the countries rejected Indian applicants more, France definitely takes the lead. In 2023, 29,866 visa applications were rejected, representing nearly 17 per cent rejection rates. In terms of rejection rates, France is ranked 15th for rejecting most visa applications filed by Indians.
Germany, on the other hand, is the second country with the highest approval rates for Indian applicants. In 2023, Germany granted 118,919 visas to Indian applicants, indicating that the country approved 89.5 per cent of all visa requests.
The first country with the highest approval rates is Iceland, which granted 95.4 per cent of all visa applications. Only 122 visas out of 3,043 applications were rejected.
These Are the Top 5 Countries With the Highest Rejection Rates for Indians
Out of 966,687 visa applications that Indians submitted in 2023, 151,752 were rejected, accounting for 15.7 per cent of all requests.
Schengen countries with the highest rejection rates for visa applications by Indians for 2023 are as follows:
• Malta rejected 50.87 per cent of visa applications, resulting in 1,978 refused visas
• Estonia – 49.75 per cent, 904 applications
• Lithuania – 48.64 per cent, 339 applications
• Slovenia – 35.05 per cent, 991 applications
• Greece – 28.21 per cent, 9,516 applications
These rejection rates could improve in the upcoming years, as the EU has adopted new rules for Indian Schengen visa applicants. In April, the EU announced that Indian applicants with an established travel history can obtain multiple entry visas, with a longer validity period of up to two years.
• According to the newly adopted visa “cascade” regime for India, Indian nationals can now be issued long-term, multi-entry Schengen visas valid for two years after having obtained and lawfully used two visas within the previous three years. Delegation of the EU to India
Indian applicants submitted 966,687 visa applications in 2023, ranking as the third nationality with most visa applications for the year. The first and second nationalities with the highest application rates were Chinese (1.11 million) and Turks (1.05 million).
Source: https://schengen.news/france-or-germany-which-country-has-higher-schengen-visa-rejection-rates-for-indians/
