Visa wall from 7 European countries against Turkey

Many Turkish citizens who planned to spend the nine-day Eid al-Adha holiday abroad faced more difficulties than ever in obtaining a Schengen visa. Seven countries in Europe have reached a new record level with rejection rates ranging from 20 to 35 percent for applications from Turkey. Due to the systematically increasing rejection decisions in visa applications in recent years, thousands of Turkish vacationers are being forced to turn to alternative routes.

The Greek islands, which have increased in popularity due to economic reasons and their proximity to Turkey, turned into a nightmare for Turkish families this holiday. Strict controls at customs and high passenger density caused hours of waiting on routes that normally take 45 minutes to complete. Complaints such as "We arrived in 45 minutes, but we haven't been able to return for 6 hours" were frequently voiced among vacationers. It was reported that the lengthening queues sometimes exceeded 1 kilometer.

The preference to spend Eid al-Adha abroad has become more prominent due to the ongoing high inflation in the country and the rise in domestic hotel and travel prices. However, countries in the Schengen area have begun to increase their rejection responses, justifying the rise in applications with various political and economic reasons.

Travel to the Greek islands, which are among the top favorites for Turkish tourists, caused serious problems during the holiday period due to both the slowing down of visa processes and the practices at border gates.

While applicants say, "Getting a visa to Schengen countries has become burdensome both in terms of time and money," experts agree that these rejection rates will remain high in the coming periods. It is reported that European states continue to lean toward giving negative responses to the visa requests of Turkish citizens by citing many factors, primarily political tensions.

The increasing rejection rates continue to complicate Turkey's travel relations with Europe.

News Source: 12punto