Netherlands Schengen visa refusal rate for applicants in India (2025)
Netherlands decided 97,650 uniform visa applications lodged in India in 2025 (8.5% of India's total), issued 77,057 and refused 20,156, a refusal rate of 20.6%. The all-India average across all Schengen states was 15.7%; Netherlands's worldwide refusal rate for all applicants was 17.7%.
20,156 refusals out of 97,650 applications, 2025
Netherlands's consulates in India, 2025
Each consulate decides its own files. Where you apply is set by your state of residence, so this table tells you what to expect, not where to shop.
17-year record
| Year | Applied | Issued | Multi-entry share | Refused | Refusal rate | India avg | Consulates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 97,650 | 77,057 | 55.1% | 20,156 | 20.6% | 15.7% | 2 |
| 2024 | 91,003 | 75,727 | 73.7% | 14,569 | 16.0% | 14.9% | 3 |
| 2023 | 83,556 | 70,071 | 77.4% | 12,618 | 15.1% | 15.7% | 1 |
| 2022 | 52,616 | 43,941 | 75.1% | 7,940 | 15.1% | 18.0% | 3 |
| 2021 | 10,373 | 8,681 | 61.7% | 1,598 | 15.4% | 22.8% | 1 |
| 2020 | 17,027 | 14,066 | 63.7% | 2,789 | 16.4% | 16.9% | 1 |
| 2019 | 93,812 | 84,683 | 94.8% | 8,712 | 9.3% | 10.8% | 1 |
| 2018 | 80,244 | 72,637 | 91.1% | 7,184 | 9.0% | 9.3% | 5 |
| 2017 | 70,320 | 64,816 | 87.0% | 5,081 | 7.2% | 8.5% | 5 |
| 2016 | 56,821 | 52,824 | 77.7% | 3,764 | 6.6% | 8.2% | 5 |
| 2015 | 44,717 | 42,387 | 76.8% | 2,078 | 4.6% | 6.5% | 5 |
| 2014 | 38,031 | 36,022 | 80.9% | 1,821 | 4.8% | 0.0% | 5 |
| 2013 | 34,024 | 32,080 | 77.6% | 1,876 | 5.5% | 6.2% | 5 |
| 2012 | 36,451 | 34,459 | 80.8% | 1,953 | 5.4% | 6.1% | 2 |
| 2011 | 35,204 | 32,917 | 86.6% | 2,186 | 6.2% | 6.9% | 2 |
| 2010 | 31,472 | 29,511 | 85.5% | 1,856 | 5.9% | 6.5% | 2 |
| 2009 | 22,994 | 21,555 | 0.0% | 1,416 | 6.2% | 7.8% | 2 |
Reading Netherlands's numbers
Between 2009 and 2025 demand for Netherlands visas from India went from 22,994 to 97,650 applications, and the refusal rate from 6.2% to 20.6%. In 2025 Netherlands ranked #17 of 27 Schengen states on refusal rate for applications lodged in India (1 = lowest) and #4 on volume. 55.1% of the visas it issued were multiple-entry, which under Article 24 of the Visa Code is the reward for a clean prior travel record and the difference between a sticker you can reuse and one that expires when you leave.
Not covered here National (type D) visas for study, work or family reunification are decided under Dutch national law and do not appear in the European Commission's uniform-visa statistics. Student-visa refusal rates for Netherlands are a different dataset; if a page quotes one without a source, treat it with suspicion.
Which Netherlands consulate covers your state of residence
Consular districts as published by the mission (read 2026-08-17). Under Article 6 of the Visa Code you apply at the consulate responsible for where you legally reside.
| Consulate | Covers | Source |
|---|---|---|
| New Delhi | all of India (plus Afghanistan and Bhutan) No official page found stating that Indian applications are decided in New Delhi. The India application page names only the New Delhi embassy as the responsible mission ('If any of the information is incorrect or you can't use the visa ... contact the Dutch embassy in New Delhi as soon as possible.'; 'The embassy will report the use of false and counterfeit documents ...'). At the same time the MFA states decisions are made centrally: government.nl: 'The Consular Service Organisation (CSO) is the central back office where applications for visas, travel documents and identity documents are registered and assessed and where decisions on these applications are made.' (https://www.government.nl/ministries/ministry-of-foreign-affairs/organisational-structure/directorate-general-for-european-cooperation-dges); netherlandsworldwide.nl: 'Your application processing time will start on the day the Consular Services Organization of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs have received the documents needed for your application, together with your passport.' (https://www.netherlandsworldwide.nl/visa-the-netherlands/waiting-time-after-visa-application). Also netherlandsandyou.nl: 'Besides the Embassy in New Delhi, there are Consulates General in both Mumbai and Bengaluru.' (https://www.netherlandsandyou.nl/web/india/about-us/) | official page |
| Mumbai | no visa jurisdiction published; visa matters routed to NetherlandsWorldwide/VFS No visa jurisdiction or visa-decision role is published for the Consulate General; its own 'who we are' page lists consular work as travel documents for Dutch nationals, assistance to Dutch nationals and 'Issuance of official documents for Indian nationals who wish to go to the Netherlands on a long term basis (MVVs)', and describes its remit as 'we work for furthering Dutch interests in the states of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Goa' (https://www.netherlandsandyou.nl/web/india/about-us/consulate-general-mumbai-who-we-are). Schengen visa applications from all of India are routed through the single India VFS route above. | official page |
Applications are lodged through VFS Global (centres: Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Chennai, Cochin, Hyderabad, Jalandhar, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Pune, New Delhi): official portal.
Questions this page answers
What is the Netherlands Schengen visa rejection rate for Indians?
In 2025, Netherlands refused 20.6% of the 97,650 short-stay visa applications lodged by Indians at its consulates in India (India-wide average across all Schengen states: 15.7%).
Which Netherlands consulate in India has the lowest refusal rate?
In 2025, the Netherlands consulate in New Delhi had the lowest refusal rate at 20.6%.
Does Netherlands give multiple-entry Schengen visas to Indians?
In 2025, 55.1% of the visas Netherlands issued in India were multiple-entry (42,453 of 77,057).
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.