Citizens of third countries must obtain a Schengen visa to travel to EU countries. However, according to statistics, some countries approve visa applications more often than others. Find out in which countries the chance to get a Schengen visa is higher and when the permit may be refused

The countries of the Schengen Agreement issue about 1,000,000 Schengen visas per year. For 2023, 82.2% of permit applications were approved, with certain countries being more generous with visas than others.

It is also possible to trace the trend that diplomatic institutions of individual states approve the issuance of visas to citizens of some countries more often than others. This can be explained by social, cultural or economic ties between them.

Which countries are most likely to issue visas to third-country nationals based on citizenship? The rating from SchengenVisaInfo follows.

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Citizens of which countries need a Schengen visa for travel, read this article.

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In which countries is the chance to get a Schengen visa higher?

Citizens of China, Turkey, India, Morocco and Russia submitted the most applications for the opening of a Schengen visa in 2023. Most often, applications of foreigners were approved by Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic.

Citizens of China

- The country most likely to issue a visa: Germany.

For 2023, German diplomatic missions approved 97.05% of visa applications from Chinese citizens, i.e. 155,950 issued visas out of 160,479 applications.

Also, Chinese citizens are most likely to get a Schengen visa in one of the following countries: the Netherlands (96.31% of approved applications), Switzerland (94.78% of approved applications), Italy (94.02% of approved applications) and Norway (93.68 % of approved applications).

Citizens of Turkey

- The country most likely to issue a visa: Portugal.

Diplomatic institutions of the following countries approved the most Schengen visa applications from Turkish citizens: Portugal - 93%, Italy - 91.08%, Slovakia - 88.77%, Poland - 86.56% and Spain - 86.50%.

Citizens of India

- The country most likely to issue a visa: Iceland.

Iceland approved the most applications for Schengen visas from Indians in 2023 (95.43%). The agreement rate was also high in Germany – 89.53%, Switzerland – 88.02%, Belgium – 85.81% and Luxembourg – 85.79%.

In total, in 2023, representatives of India submitted 966,687 visa applications to Schengen countries.

Citizens of Morocco

- The country most likely to issue a visa: Switzerland.

In 2023, Moroccans managed to obtain 437,029 Schengen visas, while representatives of this country submitted 591,401 applications (the approval rate is 73.9%). Switzerland issued a permit to 83.89% of applicants, Poland – 83.12%, France – 81.26%, Portugal – 80.05% and the Czech Republic – 75.60%.

Citizens of Russia

- The country most likely to issue a visa: Poland.

In 2023, Schengen countries approved 86.3% of visa applications from Russian citizens. The highest rate was in Poland, the state agreed to 99.61% of permits, and there is also a high chance of obtaining Schengen in Iceland - 97.50%, Slovakia - 93.65%, Italy - 93.47% and the Czech Republic - 92.58%. In total, Russian citizens received 448,890 Schengen visas during the studied period.

Citizens of Algeria

- The country most likely to issue a visa: the Czech Republic.

Algeria, like many other African countries, has an average level of approval. Out of 474,032 visa applications for 2023, only 298,691 permits were issued. The Czech Republic approved 69% of applications, France - 66.61%, Finland - 63.16%, Germany - 62.27% and Switzerland - 60.61% issued Schengen visas to citizens of Algeria.

Citizens of Saudi Arabia

- The country most likely to issue a visa: Slovakia.

In 2023, Saudi Arabia ranked seventh in terms of the number of Schengen visa applications submitted, with France receiving the most applications. However, this state did not enter the top 5 in terms of approval rate, the leader was Slovakia, which issued a visa to 100% of applicants. Switzerland - 97.06%, Austria - 96.97%, Italy - 96.30% and Spain - 94.32% also agreed to the majority of permits.

Residents of Great Britain

- The country most likely to issue a visa: Iceland.

Residents of Great Britain submitted 405,631 Schengen visa applications, of which Iceland approved 98.50% of requests, the Czech Republic - 98.35%, Poland - 97.18%, the Netherlands - 96.37% and Portugal - 96.2%.

Citizens of Thailand

- The country most likely to issue a visa: Austria.

The approval rate for Thailand in 2023 was 93.2%, with 252,013 approvals out of 270,504 visa requests. In addition to Austria, representatives of this country can obtain a visa in Switzerland (97.26% of approved applications), the Czech Republic (96.14% of approved applications), Italy (96.08% of approved applications) and Portugal (96.01% of approved applications).

Residents of the UAE

- The country most likely to issue a visa: Poland.

Citizens of the United Arab Emirates, like Great Britain, do not need to apply for a visa to enter the Schengen area. However, foreigners living in these two countries need such permission (provided that their country of origin is not included in the list of visa-free countries).

In addition to Poland, in 2023 UAE residents received a Schengen visa at the consulates of Italy – 86.45%, Portugal – 84.76%, Switzerland – 82.01% and Belgium – 81.22%.

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What are the types of Schengen visas?

Depending on the purpose of travel, Schengen visas are divided into the following types:

- Tourist visa – for visiting Schengen countries for the purpose of travel.

- Business visa (business visa) - issued for visiting Schengen countries for the purpose of concluding contracts (a mandatory condition is the presence of an invitation from a business partner).

- Guest visa - is formed on the basis of a special invitation from a resident of the Schengen country.

- Medical - for visiting hospitals in the countries of the Schengen Agreement, undergoing treatment, etc.

- Transit - for a stopover in the countries of the Schengen Agreement during a trip to another state.

When can a Schengen visa be refused?

A Schengen visa can be refused for many reasons, but the main reasons are:

- Providing false information.

- Fake documents.

- Insufficient level of earnings or insufficient amount of funds for the trip.

- Violations during recent stays in the Schengen area.

- Clean passport.

- Previous visa refusals.

- Passport expires or has no free pages.

- Lack of medical insurance.

- Lack of grounds for entry.

To minimize the probability of rejection, pay attention to the most common mistakes that should be avoided when applying for a Schengen visa.

Photo by iStock

We will remind you! Submission of documents to the consular department of the diplomatic mission of the Schengen zone country may end in rejection. However, such a decision can be appealed. Read this article about the rules for writing an appeal letter against the refusal to issue a Schengen visa.

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Igor Usyk - Head of Migration department at VisitWorld

To ensure a safe move to a new country, I advise you to consult a specialist. My colleagues, qualified specialists with a legal education, will help you avoid unpleasant situations during migration.

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Travel guide for 200 countries;

Legal advice from a local specialist on visa and migration issues;

Travel insurance around the world (please select the country of interest and citizenship to receive services);

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