Norway Approves 95% of Visa Applications Filed by Thai Nationals in 2024

Thailand has become a top visa applicant to Norway in 2024, filing 14,259 visa applications in one year alone.

According to data disclosed by an official of UDI, the Norwegian official website for immigration, the total number of visa applications in 2024 has reached 30,069, but 27,576 of them were approved, Schengen.News reports. 

Most applications were filed by applicants from four countries of origin – Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam, as Per-Jan Brekke, Team Leader for Press and Public Relations at UDI told Thailands Tidende. 

Altogether, applicants from these four countries received 26,454 visas, accounting for 88 per cent of all visas that were issued in 2024 by Norwegian authorities. 

Thai Applicants Have One of the Highest Visa Approval Rates for Norway Schengen Visa 
As the data reveals, Thais filed 14,259 visa applications in 2024. The approval rate for these applications was 95 per cent, accounting for 13,546 granted visas compared to 713 that were rejected. 

According to statistics from the Bangkok hub, during the pandemic, there was a high rejection rate for those applying for a Norwegian Schengen visa from this consulate. In 2023, the refusal rate for visitor visas from Thailand stood at seven per cent, while the average refusal rate was ten per cent for the entire application centre. 

It is worth noting that in addition to Thai applicants, there are also applicants from other countries who can file their Schengen visa applications at this particular visa application centre, therefore, these applicants cannot be only Thai nationals.

In 2024, the rejection rate for Schengen visa applications filed to the Norway consulate or application centre has shrunk to five per cent, reaching a normal rate, similar to the pre-pandemic one, while the total rejection rate for this centre was eight per cent. 

There were only a few other applicants that had higher approval rates than Thais; Indonesians (98 per cent), South Africans (97 per cent) and Fijians (96 per cent). 

Are EU Countries Considering a Visa Liberalisation Agreement With Thailand? 
After Malaysia being granted visa-free travel to the Schengen Area, Thailand could be next. 

According to local media, France has started considering a similar move back in 2024. In addition, Finland could be looking into the possibility of supporting Thailand in reachin visa-free travel agreement with the bloc. 

Recently, officials representing the two countries – Finland and Thailand met in Bangkok where they discussed strengthening their diplomatic ties. During this meeting, Krongkanit Rakcharoen, the Director-General of Thailand’s Department of European Affairs mentioned the possibility of a visa-free agreement and asked Finland to support Thailand on the journey of Schengen visa liberalisation. 

According to statistics published by SchengenVisaInfo, Thailand filed a total of 270,504 visa applications to Schengen countries in 2023, many of which were submitted to Switzerland, France, Germany, Italy, and Norway.

Source: https://schengen.news/norway-approves-95-of-visa-applications-filed-by-thai-nationals-in-2024/