France consulate, Chennai: refusal rate for Schengen visa applicants
In 2025 this consulate decided 28,780 uniform visa applications lodged in Chennai, issued 23,076 and refused 5,626. That is a refusal rate of 19.5% against an all-India average of 15.7% the same year. The year before it refused 18.9%.
5,626 refusals out of 28,780 applications, 2025
How to apply at the France consulate in Chennai
Facts below were read on the mission's or its outsourcer's official page on 2026-08-17; each carries its source. Anything we could not verify is not shown.
Who this consulate covers
Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Puducherry (Karikal, Mahe, Puducherry, Yanam).
Source (official) →Where to lodge the file
VFS Global with centres in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Cochin, Goa, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Jalandhar, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi, Puducherry, Pune, Coimbatore (temporary service point), Guwahati (temporary service point), Mangalore (temporary service point), Vishakhapatnam (temporary service point). Article 43 of the Visa Code: the provider collects the file and biometrics; the consulate decides.
Official application portal →The mission's own visa page
France-Visas country page for India: names the five decision-making posts (Mumbai, Puducherry, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Embassy visa section in Delhi), states applicants may use any VFS Global centre, lists every centre with hours.
Open the official page →If you are refused
A mandatory prior administrative appeal by post, reasoned, written in French and signed, to the Deputy Director of Visas (BP 83609, 44036 Nantes Cedex 01) for short-stay visas refused from 1 January 2023; it is compulsory before any action before the administrative judge, and two months' silence counts as an implicit refusal that can itself be challenged. Deadline: 30 days from the refusal decision.
Source (official) →Official name of the post
Consulate General of France in Pondicherry, with a Bureau de France in Chennai (the EC statistics report this post under Chennai from 2023; earlier years under Pondichery)
Address (as published)
Consulate General: 2 Marine Street, Pondicherry 605001; Bureau of France in Chennai: 6th Floor, Bannari Amman Towers, 29 Dr Radha Krishnan Salai, Mylapore, Chennai 600004
3 years at this consulate
| Year | Applied | Issued | Multi-entry | Refused | Refusal rate | India avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 28,780 | 23,076 | 10,323 (45%) | 5,626 | 19.5% | 15.7% |
| 2024 | 26,592 | 21,333 | 9,191 (43%) | 5,024 | 18.9% | 14.9% |
| 2023 | 25,120 | 19,047 | 4,725 (25%) | 6,287 | 25.0% | 15.7% |
Multi-entry share is the share of issued visas that were multiple-entry. Airport transit visas (rare in India) are excluded from these figures. Rates are computed from the counts.
What the record says
Applications at this consulate went from 25,120 in 2023 to 28,780 in 2025 (15% over the period). The refusal rate moved from 25.0% to 19.5%. Among the 43 Schengen consulates in India that decided at least 1,000 applications in 2025, it ranks #27 for best odds (1 = lowest refusal rate). France also decides files lodged in Bengaluru (7.8% refused in 2025), Kolkata (8.6% refused in 2025), Mumbai (11.8% refused in 2025), New Delhi (27.4% refused in 2025), Puducherry; which one handles you depends on your state of residence, not your choice.
Read this before you compare consulatesUnder Article 5 of the Visa Code you apply to the state that is your main destination (or first entry when no main destination exists), at the consulate responsible for where you legally reside. You do not get to pick the consulate with the best number on this page. Use the which-consulate tool to work out which one that is, then come back here to see its record.
Questions this page answers
What is the Schengen visa refusal rate at the France consulate in Chennai?
In 2025 it refused 5,626 of 28,780 uniform (short-stay) visa applications, a rate of 19.5%. The all-India average that year was 15.7%.
How many Indians applied for a France visa in Chennai in 2025?
28,780 applications were lodged at this consulate in 2025, of which 23,076 visas were issued.
Does the France consulate in Chennai issue multiple-entry Schengen visas?
In 2025, 10,323 of the 23,076 visas it issued were multiple-entry, a share of 44.7%.
Source: European Commission, "Visa statistics for consulates", 2009 to 2025 annual releases; figures cover uniform (short-stay, type C) visas applied for at consulates located in India, regardless of applicant nationality; airport-transit visas excluded from headline figures. Refusal rate = visas not issued / visas applied for, computed by us from the counts. Rankings use a floor of 1,000 applications. Last verified 2026-08-18. Full methodology. Download the CSV.