The number of Schengen visa applications varies by country, with some countries receiving the highest number of applications, while others have received the lowest number. Find out which European countries have received the fewest visa applications

On average, Schengen countries receive 10 million visa applications per year. However, it is important to note that the number of requests is unevenly distributed across countries. Some countries’ missions process as many applications per year as a single French or Italian consulate per quarter. For example, while France receives 2.6 million visa applications, some Schengen members barely exceed 20,000 applications per year.

Read on to find out which European countries have received the most and least Schengen visa applications.

Why do EU countries receive different numbers of visa applications?

The difference in the number of applications received by Schengen countries can be attributed to various factors, such as:

- Economic conditions

- Regional travel patterns

- Attractiveness of European destinations, etc.

Which countries have received the fewest Schengen visa applications?

Luxembourg

This European country received only 11,227 applications or 0.1% of the total flow.

The main applicants come to Luxembourg from India, Turkey, China and Russia - a total of 7,251 people or 64.5% of all requests. However, it is worth noting that the advantage is that the country approves 81.5% of requests.

Estonia

This state took second place in the ranking of countries that received the fewest visa applications. Estonian diplomatic missions processed 13,190 applications, but proved to be the strictest visa censor - only 61% of applicants were approved.

More than two-thirds of applications (70.1% or 9,250 people) came from citizens of just five countries - Russia, India, Turkey, Belarus and the United Kingdom.

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Slovakia

With a narrow margin of 278 visa applications from Estonia, Slovakia ranks as the third country with the fewest applications received in a year.

Applicants from Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and India are the largest applicants, submitting 2,519, 1,678 and 1,332 visa applications respectively. Egyptians also submitted a large number of applications – 1,012.

Latvia

Despite the low number of visa applications – 18,897, Latvia had a high approval rate, as the country approved almost 87% of requests, which is the third highest rate in the entire European Union.

Most applicants came to Latvia from Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Belarus, the United Kingdom, Russia and Turkey.

Slovenia

Slovenia received 19,990 visa applications, with an approval rate of 63%. The country is known for its strict document verification requirements, requiring advance hotel reservations and purchased tickets without a guarantee of obtaining a visa.

The main applicants were from Kosovo (4,095), India (2,827) and Turkey (2,671).

Most often, applicants choose France, Italy and Spain to obtain a visa to the EU. A more predictable application process and clear assessment criteria make these countries more attractive to applicants, despite long queues and long application processing times.

As a reminder! Third-country nationals transiting through an EU airport must have an appropriate visa. We have already told you what the conditions for obtaining and the procedure for issuing a transit Schengen visa are.

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Igor Usyk - Head of Migration department at VisitWorld

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