Data regarding Schengen visa applications by Turkish citizens over the last five years has revealed significant differences in rejection rates between countries. The average rejection rate across the 27 countries examined was calculated at 14.01 percent. This means that approximately one in every seven applications resulted in a negative outcome.
According to the data, the highest rejection rate was seen in Estonia. Out of 7,322 applications made to Estonia, 2,631 were rejected; the country's five-year average rejection rate was 35.93 percent. Denmark took second place with a rejection rate of 33.17 percent. Out of 30,152 applications made to Denmark, 10,000 resulted in a negative outcome.
Lithuania with 29.87 percent, Norway with 29.78 percent, and Finland with 28.39 percent were among the other countries with high rejection rates. Among the total of 27 countries, the rejection rate exceeded 30 percent in two countries, while it rose above 20 percent in eight countries.
LOWEST RATE IN ROMANIA
The country with the lowest rejection rate on the list was Romania. Out of 87,215 applications made to Romania, 2,785 were rejected, and the average rejection rate was recorded as 3.19 percent. Spain was the country with the second-lowest rejection rate at 5.94 percent, and Bulgaria was the third at 6.59 percent.
The difference between Estonia, which has the highest rate, and Romania, which has the lowest, reached 32.74 percentage points. Accordingly, Estonia's rejection rate was approximately 11 times that of Romania.
In Germany, one of the countries where Turkish citizens apply most frequently, the rejection rate also remained above 20 percent. Out of 861,434 applications made to Germany, 181,490 were rejected; the average rejection rate was 21.07 percent. The rejection rate was recorded as 10.19 percent in Greece, 13.38 percent in France, 16.17 percent in the Netherlands, and 8.39 percent in Italy.
REJECTION RATES BY COUNTRY
| Rank | Country | Rejection rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Estonia | 35.93 percent |
| 2 | Denmark | 33.17 percent |
| 3 | Lithuania | 29.87 percent |
| 4 | Norway | 29.78 percent |
| 5 | Finland | 28.39 percent |
| 6 | Belgium | 25.79 percent |
| 7 | Sweden | 24.82 percent |
| 8 | Latvia | 22.54 percent |
| 9 | Malta | 22.06 percent |
| 10 | Germany | 21.07 percent |
| 11 | Austria | 20.65 percent |
| 12 | Slovenia | 19.77 percent |
| 13 | Poland | 18.97 percent |
| 14 | Czechia | 18.66 percent |
| 15 | Croatia | 16.75 percent |
| 16 | Netherlands | 16.17 percent |
| 17 | Hungary | 15.29 percent |
| 18 | Switzerland | 14.49 percent |
| 19 | France | 13.38 percent |
| 20 | Luxembourg | 12.15 percent |
| 21 | Greece | 10.19 percent |
| 22 | Italy | 8.39 percent |
| 23 | Portugal | 7.70 percent |
| 24 | Slovakia | 6.94 percent |
| 25 | Bulgaria | 6.59 percent |
| 26 | Spain | 5.94 percent |
| 27 | Romania | 3.19 percent |
Expert assessments emphasize that such averages show the collective result of past applications, and that individual files are handled according to conditions such as the applicant's documents, purpose of travel, and consular evaluation. Therefore, a low rejection rate does not mean that every application will be accepted.
News Source: 12punto
