June 8th, 2023 at 04:23 am
France Is The Most Popular Schengen Destination With High Visa Rejection Rates
France has been named the most popular European country for Indian tourists. But the country also had the most visa applications that were turned down. Find out about the most important parts of the Schengen visa process, the most popular places to visit, and the possible move to a digitalized application system.
Based on the most current data from the Schengen Visa, India is now most likely to visit France when they go to Europe. But, as we said before, data showed that France had the highest rate of visa rejections in 2022 out of all the Schengen countries.
Understanding Schengen Visa
The Schengen visa is for a zone in the European Union where most countries don’t need passports. This zone is called the Schengen area. It is the biggest free travel zone in the world. With this short-stay visa, people can travel to any Schengen Area member country for up to 90 days for work or pleasure.
People often use this visa to travel within Europe because it lets them move freely across the Schengen Zone without being stopped at borders.
Highest Visa Rejections in France and Spain
In 2022, France turned down an incredible 27,681 visa applications, which was 20.12% of all applications. Spain came in second with 14,852 visa denials, which was 18.5% of the total.
Switzerland Shows Low Rejection Rate
Switzerland had a refusal rate of 13.2%, which was not too bad. But because there were so many applications, a lot of visas were still turned down. In total, 13,984 visas were turned down. In 2022, Germany had the lowest rate of visa refusal, at 11.33 percent, with 8,615 visas being turned down.
Top Schengen Destinations for Indian Travelers
The study also listed the five Schengen countries that Indian tourists will visit the most in 2022. France had the most visa requests, with 138,000, followed by Switzerland with 106,000, Spain with 80,098, Germany with 76,352, and the Netherlands with 52,616.
Lowest Rejection Rates with Fewer Applications
Countries like Iceland had 1,861 applications, which means that 5.5% of them were turned down. Hungary got 9,046 applications, and 12,1% of them were turned down. Belgium got 4,824 visa requests, and 12.2% of them were turned down. There were 18,016 applications to work in Norway, but 14.5% of them were turned down.
Worst Visa Rejection Rates
The study also named other Schengen countries with the highest visa rejection rates, but with fewer applications. Out of 1,986 applications, 56% of them were turned down by Estonia.
About 455 of Malta’s 1,220 bids were turned down. The rejection rates in Lithuania, Greece, and the Czech Republic were 41.4%, 34.7%, and 34.1%, respectively.
Schengen Area Overview
At the moment, 27 European countries are part of the Schengen Area. Of these, 22 are European Union Member States. These countries are Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Croatia.
Schengen Visa Appointment Process in India
Schengen embassies and consulates usually ask Indian visa applicants to make an appointment 4-6 weeks ahead of time.
It is best to start the application process a long time before the trip since it can take up to two weeks for the government to decide. Appointment slots may fill up quickly during the summer and winter breaks, so it’s important to plan ahead. Also, You can send in your application up to six months in advance.
Digitalization of Schengen Visa Application Process
In a recent change, the representatives of the countries that are part of the European Union have agreed to start talks about making the Schengen visa application process digital.
If this idea is accepted, travelers would be able to apply for a Schengen visa online, and the present “Schengen” sticker would be replaced by a digital barcode. This new technology is meant to streamline and improve the process of applying for a visa, making it easier for applicants and more efficient for the government.
It’s important to know that recently, a lot of Indian travelers have talked about their experiences, showing how hard it is to get a Schengen visa because of all the paperwork and old rules. With the automation of the Schengen visa process, these worries will be taken care of for sure.
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