The Visa Experts

Visa Refusal & Wait-Time Index

Schengen states refused 14.7% of visa applications in 2025 — but where you apply matters more than who you are.

We tracked refusal outcomes across every reporting Schengen destination, the US, the UK and Ireland — the same passport is roughly 3.9x likelier to be refused in Malta than in Slovakia.

Download CSV Sources: EC DG HOME · U.S. State Dept · UK Home Office · Ireland Dept of Justice

How refusal rates are trending

Share of applications refused, by period on file.

21%16%11%13.5%202118.1%202216.1%202314.8%202414.7%2025
Embed <iframe src="https://thevisaexperts.com/visa-refusal-index-embed.php?body=schengen" width="600" height="260" frameborder="0"></iframe>

Every tracked Schengen destination

Year

Destination is set by the tabs in "How refusal rates are trending" above.

Every destination with a published government report on file, every period available. Click a column to sort, or use the filters to narrow down.

Destination Period Applications Refusal % Source
Malta Calendar Year 2024 43,742 38.7% European Commission DG HOME 2025
Malta Calendar Year 2025 53,795 38.4% European Commission DG HOME 2026
Malta Calendar Year 2023 32,531 37.7% European Commission DG HOME 2024
Malta Calendar Year 2022 21,673 36.5% European Commission DG HOME 2023
Estonia Calendar Year 2023 12,452 34.9% European Commission DG HOME 2024
United Kingdom Year Ending March 2021 255,206 31.9% UK Home Office 2021
Sweden Calendar Year 2021 20,773 31.8% European Commission DG HOME 2022
Sweden Calendar Year 2022 127,764 30.3% European Commission DG HOME 2023
Norway Calendar Year 2021 9,653 29.0% European Commission DG HOME 2022
Belgium Calendar Year 2022 163,496 28.5% European Commission DG HOME 2023
Estonia Calendar Year 2024 11,608 28.4% European Commission DG HOME 2025
United States of America Fiscal Year 2024 8,995,108 27.8% US Department of State 2024
Belgium Calendar Year 2023 226,201 26.6% European Commission DG HOME 2024
United States of America Fiscal Year 2024 8,895,060 26.5% US Department of State 2024
Belgium Calendar Year 2025 257,672 26.2% European Commission DG HOME 2026
Estonia Calendar Year 2025 11,826 24.9% European Commission DG HOME 2026
Belgium Calendar Year 2024 250,490 24.6% European Commission DG HOME 2025
Slovenia Calendar Year 2024 17,944 24.6% European Commission DG HOME 2025
Sweden Calendar Year 2024 184,998 24.1% European Commission DG HOME 2025
Sweden Calendar Year 2023 162,291 23.8% European Commission DG HOME 2024
Denmark Calendar Year 2024 130,758 23.7% European Commission DG HOME 2025
Portugal Calendar Year 2025 253,635 23.4% European Commission DG HOME 2026
Sweden Calendar Year 2025 187,538 23.4% European Commission DG HOME 2026
United Kingdom Year Ending March 2022 787,107 22.7% UK Home Office 2022
United States of America Fiscal Year 2023 7,678,327 22.7% US Department of State 2023
France Calendar Year 2022 1,837,104 22.3% European Commission DG HOME 2023
Slovenia Calendar Year 2025 19,636 22.0% European Commission DG HOME 2026
United Kingdom Year Ending March 2023 1,983,274 21.8% UK Home Office 2023
Denmark Calendar Year 2025 178,301 21.7% European Commission DG HOME 2026
Denmark Calendar Year 2021 24,477 21.3% European Commission DG HOME 2022
Denmark Calendar Year 2023 101,295 21.2% European Commission DG HOME 2024
Slovenia Calendar Year 2022 12,459 21.2% European Commission DG HOME 2023
France Calendar Year 2021 608,639 21.1% European Commission DG HOME 2022
Croatia Calendar Year 2023 34,208 20.9% European Commission DG HOME 2024
Norway Calendar Year 2022 71,026 20.7% European Commission DG HOME 2023
Belgium Calendar Year 2021 43,681 20.5% European Commission DG HOME 2022
United Kingdom Year Ending March 2026 2,809,058 20.3% UK Home Office 2026
United Kingdom Year Ending March 2024 2,515,909 20.1% UK Home Office 2024
Estonia Calendar Year 2022 22,566 20.1% European Commission DG HOME 2023
Spain Calendar Year 2022 1,140,037 20.0% European Commission DG HOME 2023
United Kingdom Year Ending March 2025 2,681,308 19.6% UK Home Office 2025
United States of America Fiscal Year 2022 4,046,580 19.6% US Department of State 2022
Croatia Calendar Year 2024 41,427 19.3% European Commission DG HOME 2025
Finland Calendar Year 2023 85,149 19.1% European Commission DG HOME 2024
Denmark Calendar Year 2022 69,569 18.9% European Commission DG HOME 2023
Croatia Calendar Year 2025 41,878 18.7% European Commission DG HOME 2026
Spain Calendar Year 2023 1,345,273 18.7% European Commission DG HOME 2024
Portugal Calendar Year 2022 150,552 18.2% European Commission DG HOME 2023
Slovenia Calendar Year 2023 15,327 17.8% European Commission DG HOME 2024
Netherlands Calendar Year 2025 738,396 17.8% European Commission DG HOME 2026
Czechia (Czech Republic) Calendar Year 2023 138,276 17.5% European Commission DG HOME 2024
Netherlands Calendar Year 2022 403,640 17.5% European Commission DG HOME 2023
Netherlands Calendar Year 2023 656,524 17.4% European Commission DG HOME 2024
Poland Calendar Year 2024 111,182 17.3% European Commission DG HOME 2025
France Calendar Year 2023 2,606,225 16.8% European Commission DG HOME 2024
United States of America Fiscal Year 2021 997,634 16.7% US Department of State 2021
Germany Calendar Year 2022 978,997 16.5% European Commission DG HOME 2023
Ireland Calendar Year 2025 136,707 16.5% Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (Ireland) 2026
Germany Calendar Year 2021 319,770 16.3% European Commission DG HOME 2022
Malta Calendar Year 2021 4,248 16.3% European Commission DG HOME 2022
Norway Calendar Year 2023 108,536 16.1% European Commission DG HOME 2024
Austria Calendar Year 2022 149,259 16.1% European Commission DG HOME 2023
Portugal Calendar Year 2023 207,147 16.0% European Commission DG HOME 2024
Poland Calendar Year 2025 109,143 15.9% European Commission DG HOME 2026
France Calendar Year 2024 3,030,874 15.9% European Commission DG HOME 2025
Czechia (Czech Republic) Calendar Year 2024 150,363 15.8% European Commission DG HOME 2025
Spain Calendar Year 2024 1,549,618 15.8% European Commission DG HOME 2025
Norway Calendar Year 2025 181,112 15.7% European Commission DG HOME 2026
Netherlands Calendar Year 2024 713,367 15.6% European Commission DG HOME 2025
Spain Calendar Year 2021 438,717 15.3% European Commission DG HOME 2022
Finland Calendar Year 2024 88,465 15.3% European Commission DG HOME 2025
Ireland Calendar Year 2022 71,738 15.2% Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (Ireland) 2023
Hungary Calendar Year 2023 214,572 15.1% European Commission DG HOME 2024
Poland Calendar Year 2023 123,783 15.0% European Commission DG HOME 2024
Hungary Calendar Year 2022 142,765 14.9% European Commission DG HOME 2023
Luxembourg Calendar Year 2025 13,208 14.9% European Commission DG HOME 2026
Greece Calendar Year 2023 612,051 14.8% European Commission DG HOME 2024
Ireland Calendar Year 2024 124,179 14.8% Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (Ireland) 2025
Spain Calendar Year 2025 1,635,753 14.6% European Commission DG HOME 2026
Czechia (Czech Republic) Calendar Year 2022 116,600 14.5% European Commission DG HOME 2023
Greece Calendar Year 2025 697,788 14.5% European Commission DG HOME 2026
Austria Calendar Year 2023 227,195 14.5% European Commission DG HOME 2024
Germany Calendar Year 2023 1,376,882 14.5% European Commission DG HOME 2024
Lithuania Calendar Year 2025 41,610 14.5% European Commission DG HOME 2026
France Calendar Year 2025 3,087,624 14.3% European Commission DG HOME 2026
Lithuania Calendar Year 2024 32,802 14.2% European Commission DG HOME 2025
Czechia (Czech Republic) Calendar Year 2025 172,475 14.2% European Commission DG HOME 2026
Iceland Calendar Year 2025 67,014 13.8% European Commission DG HOME 2026
Germany Calendar Year 2024 1,498,604 13.8% European Commission DG HOME 2025
Austria Calendar Year 2024 260,564 13.8% European Commission DG HOME 2025
Netherlands Calendar Year 2021 135,515 13.6% European Commission DG HOME 2022
Finland Calendar Year 2025 89,637 13.5% European Commission DG HOME 2026
Greece Calendar Year 2024 702,751 13.3% European Commission DG HOME 2025
Ireland Calendar Year 2023 98,990 13.3% Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (Ireland) 2024
Slovakia Calendar Year 2023 13,226 13.2% European Commission DG HOME 2024
Germany Calendar Year 2025 1,483,721 13.2% European Commission DG HOME 2026
Lithuania Calendar Year 2023 30,067 13.0% European Commission DG HOME 2024
Hungary Calendar Year 2025 262,435 13.0% European Commission DG HOME 2026
Luxembourg Calendar Year 2023 10,505 12.9% European Commission DG HOME 2024
Italy Calendar Year 2022 717,370 12.8% European Commission DG HOME 2023
Luxembourg Calendar Year 2024 12,779 12.8% European Commission DG HOME 2025
Norway Calendar Year 2024 149,988 12.8% European Commission DG HOME 2025
Hungary Calendar Year 2024 251,346 12.8% European Commission DG HOME 2025
Greece Calendar Year 2022 442,133 12.7% European Commission DG HOME 2023
Ireland Calendar Year 2021 12,380 12.6% Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (Ireland) 2022
Switzerland Calendar Year 2021 95,982 12.6% European Commission DG HOME 2022
Switzerland Calendar Year 2025 614,992 12.6% European Commission DG HOME 2026
Bulgaria Calendar Year 2025 173,603 12.5% European Commission DG HOME 2026
Latvia Calendar Year 2025 19,056 12.5% European Commission DG HOME 2026
Portugal Calendar Year 2021 45,853 12.2% European Commission DG HOME 2022
Italy Calendar Year 2023 1,099,916 12.1% European Commission DG HOME 2024
Switzerland Calendar Year 2022 363,081 12.1% European Commission DG HOME 2023
Austria Calendar Year 2025 242,773 12.0% European Commission DG HOME 2026
Poland Calendar Year 2022 82,864 11.9% European Commission DG HOME 2023
Latvia Calendar Year 2023 18,602 11.9% European Commission DG HOME 2024
Romania Calendar Year 2025 53,985 11.5% European Commission DG HOME 2026
Switzerland Calendar Year 2024 631,474 11.4% European Commission DG HOME 2025
Bulgaria Calendar Year 2024 108,066 11.3% European Commission DG HOME 2025
Portugal Calendar Year 2024 196,316 11.3% European Commission DG HOME 2025
Latvia Calendar Year 2024 17,014 11.2% European Commission DG HOME 2025
Italy Calendar Year 2024 1,228,426 10.9% European Commission DG HOME 2025
Italy Calendar Year 2025 1,326,710 10.9% European Commission DG HOME 2026
Switzerland Calendar Year 2023 566,283 10.7% European Commission DG HOME 2024
Luxembourg Calendar Year 2022 6,701 10.6% European Commission DG HOME 2023
Slovakia Calendar Year 2024 14,104 10.1% European Commission DG HOME 2025
Italy Calendar Year 2021 209,969 9.9% European Commission DG HOME 2022
Austria Calendar Year 2021 43,583 9.9% European Commission DG HOME 2022
Iceland Calendar Year 2021 2,628 9.9% European Commission DG HOME 2022
Slovakia Calendar Year 2022 11,924 9.8% European Commission DG HOME 2023
Slovakia Calendar Year 2025 17,717 9.8% European Commission DG HOME 2026
Latvia Calendar Year 2022 20,877 9.5% European Commission DG HOME 2023
Romania Calendar Year 2024 34,523 9.5% European Commission DG HOME 2025
Finland Calendar Year 2022 156,872 9.3% European Commission DG HOME 2023
Lithuania Calendar Year 2022 26,127 7.8% European Commission DG HOME 2023
Slovenia Calendar Year 2021 5,139 7.3% European Commission DG HOME 2022
Iceland Calendar Year 2024 34,606 6.6% European Commission DG HOME 2025
Greece Calendar Year 2021 287,504 6.4% European Commission DG HOME 2022
Poland Calendar Year 2021 41,563 5.6% European Commission DG HOME 2022
Estonia Calendar Year 2021 40,582 5.5% European Commission DG HOME 2022
Hungary Calendar Year 2021 69,333 4.7% European Commission DG HOME 2022
Finland Calendar Year 2021 56,900 4.5% European Commission DG HOME 2022
Latvia Calendar Year 2021 16,554 3.5% European Commission DG HOME 2022
Czechia (Czech Republic) Calendar Year 2021 206,883 3.3% European Commission DG HOME 2022
Slovakia Calendar Year 2021 3,789 2.8% European Commission DG HOME 2022
Lithuania Calendar Year 2021 24,656 2.8% European Commission DG HOME 2022
Iceland Calendar Year 2023 21,721 2.2% European Commission DG HOME 2024
Iceland Calendar Year 2022 7,553 1.9% European Commission DG HOME 2023
Luxembourg Calendar Year 2021 2,315 1.3% European Commission DG HOME 2022

Your nationality changes the odds again

Applications-weighted refusal rate by nationality, latest period, floored at 500+ applications to avoid small-sample noise.

55.3% Comoros 54.7% Bangladesh 54.3% Guinea-Bissau 53.5% Burundi 52.3% Guinea 51.9% Senegal +114 more

Applying for a Schengen Visa?

14.7% of Schengen applications were refused in Calendar Year 2025. A confirmed, refundable flight itinerary and hotel booking are among the first documents a visa officer checks — getitinerary.com provides itineraries built specifically for visa applications, accepted by embassies worldwide.

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The Four Numbers

14.7% Global Schengen refusal rate, Calendar Year 2025
38.4% Highest refusal rate — Malta
9.8% Lowest refusal rate — Slovakia
27.8% US worldwide B1/B2 refusal rate, Fiscal Year 2024

Click any figure to copy it with attribution.