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Revised May, 2024 – Resource, Turkey iResidence
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THE SCHENGEN VISA PROBLEM IS GROWING
The rejection rate of applications for Schengen visas from Turkey continues its upward trend compared to before the pandemic. Figures show that the rejection rate of applications from Turkey by some European countries doubled in 2022 compared to 2019.
The rejection rate of applications for Schengen visas from Turkey is increasing according to the figures. Estonia, Finland and Belgium are among the countries applying for Schengen visas, ranking decently in the rejection rates for visa applications made from Turkey in 2022.
The President of the Union of Turkish Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB), in his assessment to Turkey iResidence, pointed out that the rejection rate of Schengen visa applications from Turkey in 2022 increased from 15 percent to about 50 percent this year.
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Turkey iResidence has compiled data on Schengen visa applications and rejection rates from Turkey. According to the data on the ”Schengenvisainfo” website, 15 percent of the 778 thousand Schengen visa applications made through missions in Turkey in 2022 were rejected.
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RUSSIA’S REJECTION RATE IS LOWER THAN TURKEY
During the same period, it drew attention that the rejection rates of applications from Russia, which became the target of Western sanctions due to the war it entered with Ukraine, were lower than those of Turkey. This rate was recorded as 10 percent in Russia.
Even from Russia, which is the target of sanctions, there are many question marks in the fact that the rejection rates of Schengen visa applications are lower than in Turkey.
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DESPITE THE END OF THE EPIDEMIC, THE SITUATION HAS NOT NORMALIZED
906 Thousand Schengen visa applications were made from Turkey in 2019, 9.7 percent of which were rejected. It is noteworthy that the rejection rate, which rose to 15 percent last year, has increased significantly compared to 2019.
While the data on visa applications and rejection rates due to travel restrictions during the 2020-2021 period during which the COVID-19 pandemic was effective were based on the pre-epidemic data, the figures for 2019 were included.
The countries with the highest rejection rates for Schengen visa applications are Estonia, Finland and Belgium.
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ESTONIA’S REJECTION RATES LAST YEAR INCREASED 3 TIMES COMPARED TO 2019
In 2022, 1517 applications were submitted from Turkey to the Estonian Embassy in Ankara for a Schengen visa. 52.1 Percent of these applications were rejected and 786 people were not granted visas. This shows that Estonia does not grant a visa to one of both applications.
It is noteworthy that the rejection decisions of the Estonian Embassy in Ankara in 2022 have increased by 3 times compared to 2019. The rejection rate of the Estonian Embassy in Ankara for visa applications made in 2019 was 16.95 percent.
The Estonian Embassy in Ankara left unanswered questions about the number of visa applications made this year and the rejection rates.
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FINLAND DID NOT ISSUE VISAS TO 4 OUT OF EVERY 10 APPLICANTS
Finland was the second highest country among EU member states with the deciency rates in Schengen visa applications made from Turkey in 2022.
4 Thousand 73 applications were made to the Finnish Embassy in Ankara in 2022. 1558 of them were not granted visas and the rejection rate was 40.6 percent.
The serious increase in rejection decisions made by the Finnish Embassy in Ankara last year compared to 2019 is also noticeable. The Finnish Embassy in Ankara rejected 23.20 percent of the 3,676 applications made in 2019.
The Finnish Embassy in Ankara did not provide information about the number of applications and rejection rates this year on the grounds that they cannot share visa information with other sources.
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BELGIUM DID NOT ISSUE A VISA TO ONE OUT OF EVERY THREE APPLICANTS
Another EU country where Schengen visa rejection rates are quite high is Belgium. The Consulate General of Belgium in Istanbul did not issue visas to 2,566 out of 7,211 applications made in 2022, and the rejection rate of applications was recorded as 37.7 percent. Thus, Belgium rejected more than one out of every three applications.
Although not as much as Estonia and Finland, there was an increase in the visa rejection rate of Belgium last year compared to 2019. The rate of rejection of applications by the Consulate General of Belgium in Istanbul in 2019 was 33 percent.
The Belgian Embassy in Ankara did not share information about the 2023 visa applications and rejection rates.
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22.7 PERCENT OF SWEDISH APPLICATIONS WERE REJECTED
13 thousand 553 applications were submitted to the Swedish diplomatic mission in Turkey last year, and 22.7 percent of them were rejected.
The rejection rate of this country’s visa applications from Turkey was 20 percent in 2019. The Swedish Consulate in Istanbul left unanswered questions about this year’s application figures and visa rejection rates.
Denmark and Norway are among the other countries with high rejection rates for Schengen visa applications from Turkey.
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DENMARK’S REJECTION RATE IS CLOSE TO 3 TIMES COMPARED TO 2019
Denmark became the fourth country that gave the highest number of refusals to visa applications from Turkey after Belgium with 34 percent in 2022.
5,407 applications were made from Turkey to the Danish representative offices last year and 1822 of them were rejected.
7 Thousand 511 applications were made to Denmark’s representative offices in Turkey in 2019, and 13 percent were rejected.
These data show that the rejection rate of visa applications made from Turkey by Danish representative offices in 2022 has increased almost 3 times compared to 2019.
The Danish Embassy in Ankara left unanswered questions about 2023 visa applications and rejection rates.
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NORWAY’S REJECTION RATE HAS DECREASED COMPARED TO 2019
Norway is also among the countries with a high rejection rate for visa applications from Turkey. Norway rejected 1482 out of 4 thousand 648 applications from Turkey in 2022 and the rejection rate was 31.9 percent.
On the other hand, the decrease in Norway’s rejection rates in 2019 compared to 2022 is noticeable. Norway rejected 1537 out of 3,442 applications from Turkey in 2019, and the rejection rate was recorded as 38 percent.
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75% OF SCHENGEN APPLICATIONS WERE MADE TO 4 COUNTRIES
Germany, Greece, France and Italy were the countries where the most visa applications were made from Turkey within the EU countries last year, respectively.
More than 591 thousand of the 778 thousand applications made from Turkey for the EU Schengen visa last year came to the diplomatic missions of these four countries.
Germany has the highest rejection rate among the countries with the highest number of applications with 21. It is followed by France with 13.4 percent.
Italy, on the other hand, gave the fewest decrees with 7 percent among the countries with the highest number of applications.
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THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN GERMANY’S REJECTION RATES COMPARED TO 2019
In 2022, 223 thousand 699 people from Turkey applied to Germany’s diplomatic missions in Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir for a Schengen visa. More than 48 thousand of these applications were rejected. Germany’s rejection rate for applications from Turkey exceeded 21 percent in 2022.
The rate at which Germany’s diplomatic missions rejected Schengen visa applications from Turkey last year almost doubled compared to 2019.
More than 253 thousand applications were made to the German diplomatic missions in 2019, and the number of refusals was recorded as 30 thousand 823. Germany’s rejection rate was 12.1 percent.
January May 2023 diplomatic missions issued about 100 thousand Schengen visas for Turkish citizens, the German Embassy in Ankara, the information made, it was stated.
The German Embassy, which noted that 60 thousand Schengen visas were issued in the same period last year and that the increase this year compared to last year is over 50 percent, did not share information on the number of applications despite persistent questions.
For this reason, the public cannot have information about the rejection and acceptance rates of visa applications made to Germany’s diplomatic missions in Turkey in 2023.
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GREECE IS THE SECOND COUNTRY WITH THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS
Greece became the EU country with the highest number of applications for a Schengen visa in 2022, after Germany.
164 thousand 829 applications were made to the diplomatic missions of Greece in Ankara, Edirne, Istanbul and Izmir last year. Of these, 15,913 were rejected. The rejection rate of Greece’s Schengen visa applications from Turkey last year was 9.65 percent.
The rejection rate of the country’s visa applications last year increased compared to 2019.
Greece rejected 6 thousand 359 out of 148 thousand 551 applications made in 2019, the rejection rate was 4.2 percent.
The Greek Embassy in Ankara also left unanswered questions about 2023 visa applications and rejection rates.
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FRANCE’S VISA REJECTION RATE HAS INCREASED BY 2 TIMES
France became the third country with the highest number of Schengen visa applications among EU countries after Germany and Greece with 115 thousand 114 decrees. France rejected an average of 13.4 percent of applications from Turkey last year.
In 2019, 143 thousand 478 applications were made from Turkey to the diplomatic missions of France, and 6.3 percent of them were rejected.
This data also reveals that the visa rejection rate at France’s diplomatic missions in Turkey increased by 2 times last year compared to 2019.
The French Embassy in Ankara also left unanswered questions about visa application and rejection rates in the first 5 months of this year.
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ITALY, THE COUNTRY WITH THE LOWEST REJECTION RATE
87 Thousand 648 Schengen visa applications were submitted to Italy’s diplomatic missions in Turkey in 2022. Of these, 6,259 were rejected. Italy stood out as the country that made the least rejection decrees to visa applications made from Turkey among the Schengen Area countries with 7 percent.
Italy’s rejection rate of visa applications from Turkey in 2019 was recorded as 6 percent.
Other countries where the number of applications for a Schengen visa from Turkey is high include the Netherlands, Spain and Hungary,
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DECLINE IN REJECTION RATES IN THE NETHERLANDS
48 Thousand 807 applications were made to the diplomatic missions of the Netherlands last year. 9 Thousand 714 of them were rejected and the rejection rate was 19.90 percent.
Of the applications made from Turkey in 2019, 15.6 percent had not been granted a visa by the Dutch diplomatic missions.
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