According to Schengen Visa Statistics 2022, France is the most sought after destination for Indian travelers among the Schengen states but also the largest number of visa rejections. Image for representational purposes only. , Photo Credit: The Hindu Photo Library
According to Schengen Visa Statistics 2022, France is the most sought after destination for Indian travelers among the Schengen states but also has the highest number of visa rejections.
The five most popular Schengen destinations for Indians include France, which saw 1.38 lakh visa applications in 2022, followed by Switzerland at 1.06 lakh, Spain at 80,098, Germany at 76,352 and the Netherlands at 52,616.
But France’s rejection rate of 20.12% also means it saw the highest number of visa rejections at 27,681. Spain was second in this category with 18.5% or 14,852 visas denied. Although Switzerland’s rejection rate was as low as 13.2%, a total of 13,984 visas were rejected due to the high volume of applications received.
Among these top five countries, Germany has the lowest rejection rate among all Schengen states at 11.3%, resulting in 8,615 visa rejections.
The other countries with the lowest rejection rates were Iceland (5.5%), Hungary (12.1%), Belgium (12.2%) and Norway (14.5%). However, the absolute number of applications for some of these countries was very low, with Iceland receiving only 1,861 applications and Belgium receiving 4,824. Hungary received 9,046 applications and Norway 18,016.
The Schengen countries with the worst rejection rates are Estonia (56% of 1,986 applications), Malta (45% of 1,220 applications), Lithuania (41.4% of 987 applications), Greece (34.7% of 27,457 applications) and the Czech Republic (34.1%). out of 5,396 applications)
According to Rajeev Kale, President & Country Head, Holiday, MICE, Visa, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd., the factors that travelers should keep in mind to ensure their visa request is successful include ensuring that the passport is not damaged. is not there or is not ending within the time. six months. They will also have to submit an updated proof of financial standing in India supported by the necessary authorities.