How India compares: Schengen refusal rates for the biggest application countries (2025)
World context. The Commission's third-country totals for the 12 largest application countries in 2025: applications lodged there, visas issued, refusals and the refusal rate. India sits in this table; so do the countries Indians usually compare themselves with. Rate = not issued / applied.
Countries where the applications were lodged, all Schengen states combined; not applicant nationality.
| Rank | Country of application | Refusal rate | Applied | Issued | Refused | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 4.0% | 1,915,149 | 1,827,866 | 76,655 | |
| 2 | Saudi Arabia | 5.1% | 553,967 | 521,087 | 28,467 | |
| 3 | Thailand | 5.9% | 264,190 | 247,816 | 15,544 | |
| 4 | Russian Federation | 6.3% | 679,425 | 618,806 | 42,953 | |
| 5 | Philippines | 6.9% | 235,674 | 218,096 | 16,245 | |
| 6 | United Kingdom | 10.4% | 512,426 | 451,821 | 53,398 | |
| 7 | Türkiye | 14.4% | 1,268,376 | 1,072,054 | 183,196 | |
| 8 | India | 15.7% | 1,153,748 | 966,529 | 181,111 | |
| 9 | Morocco | 18.4% | 619,827 | 480,354 | 114,320 | |
| 10 | United Arab Emirates | 23.9% | 298,064 | 221,370 | 71,261 | |
| 11 | Egypt | 24.0% | 226,865 | 169,915 | 54,354 | |
| 12 | Algeria | 31.0% | 444,577 | 302,181 | 137,860 |
Other rankings
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.