EU and Schengen-associated countries received 10.3 million Schengen visa applications in 2023. The number of combined Schengen visas issued remained at about 8.5 million. Applicants were issued LTVs, directly on external borders, multiple and single entry visas. The number of applications submitted in 2023 has seen an immense increase of 37% compared with last year.
Visa Applications and Approvals (2019-2023)
Schengen Visa Statistics 2023
As per statistics issued by the EU Commission today, China remained at the number 1 position as per the number of visa applications submitted followed by Türkiye and India. On the other hand, in terms of most visas issued, Türkiye remained on top followed by India and China.
About 2.6 million visa applications count alone for France followed by Germany and Spain with more than 1.4 million visa applications each.
Germany surprisingly issued most of the Schengen visas in 2023 (more than 1.1 million) where its difference with 2nd position France was 300,000.
The Schengen Zone has made a great recovery in terms of tourism after the pandemic. Though the previously highest number was 17 million applications back in 2019, it is surely expected that 2024 could catch it close.
We asked the immigration expert “Umer Rasib” about the gradual recovery (increase) in Schengen visa applications over 3 years and he said,
“It is indeed a good sign that the recovery is gradually taking place where Schengen countries are getting back the required number of tourists from across the globe. The pandemic is over now and we see a three times increase in the number of applications submitted compared with 2020. The trend will see a sharp rise in 2024 when the number of applications could cross the magical figure of 1.5 million. Furthermore, the digitalization of the Schengen visa till 2028 will increase the numbers more rapidly as the people will be able to apply with ease and from the comfort of home”.
Schengen Visa Statistics 2023 Explained
- Visa Applications and Approvals (2019-2023)
- Schengen Visa Statistics 2023
- Countries from where most Schengen visa applications were submitted
- Schengen visa refusal rates in 2023
- Category-Wise Schengen visa ratio
- National of which countries got the most Schengen visas approved
- Schengen countries that issued most visas
- Schengen countries for which most visas applied for
Countries from where most Schengen visa applications were submitted
China topped the table where the most Schengen visa applications were submitted in 2023. About 1,117,365 Chinese tried to get the Schengen visa. Türkiye remained at the number two position where 1,055,885 applied for this visa. In India, the numbers touched to almost a million (966,687). In Morocco 591,401 and in Russia 520,387 people applied for the Schengen visa.
Schengen visa refusal rates in 2023
The refusal rate has slightly declined compared with the last year. Out of the total submitted visa applications, almost 16% were denied visas. On the other hand, in some countries, the percentage increased for refusals such as Belarus (3.4%), Russia (10.6%), Türkiye (16.1%), and Iran (30.3%).
Category-Wise Schengen visa ratio
Schengen countries issued 4.6 million multiple-entry Schengen visas in 2023. This makes it 54.3% of the total number of visas issued. About 85,200 visas were issued at the external borders. The rest of the percentage is divided into LTVs and single-entry uniform visas.
National of which countries got the most Schengen visas approved
Overall, 8.5 million visas were approved which makes it a success rate of 82.3% slightly higher than 2022 (78.4%). Citizens of Türkiye, India, and China got most of the visas approved.
| Countries | Multiple entry uniform visas (MEVs) issued | Total LTVs issued | |
| 1 | TÜRKIYE | 612,841 | 13,611 |
| 2 | INDIA | 505,053 | 352 |
| 3 | CHINA | 435,623 | 442 |
| 4 | MOROCCO | 233,018 | 766 |
| 5 | RUSSIAN FEDERATION | 220,928 | 10,308 |
| 6 | SAUDI ARABIA | 357,508 | 973 |
| 7 | UNITED KINGDOM | 185,720 | 670 |
| 8 | THAILAND | 112,468 | 77 |
| 9 | UNITED ARAB EMIRATES | 90,650 | 1,612 |
| 10 | Algeria | 86,787 | 2,215 |
Schengen countries that issued most visas
Germany approved most Schengen visa applications in 2023. The country issued more than 1.1 million visas. France remained at the number 2 position by issuing more than 0.8 million visas.
| Schengen State | Multiple entry uniform visas (MEVs) issued | Total LTVs issued | Uniform visas not issued |
| Germany | 1,115,424 | 12,517 | 208,155 |
| France | 791,417 | 6,312 | 436,893 |
| Italy | 680,794 | 4,467 | 133,495 |
| Switzerland | 349,862 | 32,365 | 64,397 |
| Greece | 344,668 | 8,610 | 91,379 |
| Netherlands | 326,018 | 2,146 | 114,269 |
| Spain | 297,215 | 14,139 | 251,470 |
| Austria | 147,021 | 2,418 | 32,922 |
| Belgium | 94,854 | 401 | 60,148 |
| Portugal | 92,414 | 613 | 33,220 |
| Hungary | 79,105 | 198 | 32,641 |
Schengen countries for which most visas applied for
More than 2.6 million Schengen visa applications were submitted for France. Followed by Germany and Spain more than 1.4 million. Italy and the Netherlands remained at number 4 and 5 with the number of applications submitted at 1,108,035 and 669,291 respectively.
| Schengen State | Uniform visas applied for |
| France | 2,625,846 |
| Germany | 1,459,560 |
| Spain | 1,413,222 |
| Italy | 1,108,035 |
| Netherlands | 669,291 |
| Greece | 627,008 |
| Switzerland | 603,261 |
| Austria | 229,613 |
| Belgium | 225,951 |
| Hungary | 215,799 |
| Portugal | 207,654 |
| Sweden | 169,151 |
| Czech Republic | 138,840 |
| Poland | 124,057 |
| Norway | 108,536 |
| Denmark | 107,872 |
| Finland | 92,078 |
| Croatia | 38,511 |
| Malta | 33,306 |
| Lithuania | 30,668 |
| Iceland | 22,541 |
| Slovenia | 19,990 |
| Latvia | 18,897 |
| Slovakia | 13,468 |
| Estonia | 13,190 |
| Luxembourg | 11,227 |
| Grand Total | 10,327,572 |
Files from home-affairs.ec.europa.eu, Umer Rasib and schengenvisa.news