Pakistan Becomes Number 1 Country With Most Schengen Visa Rejections

In 2023, 16% of the 10.3 million Schengen visa applications were rejected, with France rejecting the most requests. Comoros had the highest rejection rate, with 61% of its 3,700 applications denied, according to Schengen Statistics.

Following Comoros, foreign nationals in Greece experienced a 56.4% rejection rate from Greek visa application centers, particularly for Norway-bound visas.

Visa applicants from the following countries did not necessarily file most visa applications, however, the proportion of rejected applications compared to the total number of requests, was higher compared to countries with larger populations and a bigger number of applications filed. Data reveal that African and Asian countries are most likely to be rejected by Schengen consulates.

Six out of the top ten most rejected nationalities were from Africa: Comoros, Guinea-Bissau, Ghana, Mali, Guinea, and Sudan.

• Comoros: 57.6% of visa applications to France were rejected.
• Greece (for Norway-bound visas): 37% of 4,900 applications were denied.
• Guinea-Bissau: 47.6% of 5,500 applications to Spain and Portugal were denied.
• Pakistan: 49.6% of 86,700 applications were rejected, making it the highest number of rejected applications from around the world.
• Ghana: 47.6% of 21,200 applications were denied.
• Mali: 46.1% of applications were rejected.

Other countries with high rejection rates included Syria (46%), Guinea (43.7%), Bangladesh (43.3%), and Sudan (42.3%).