Germany Remains Top Choice for Multiple-Entry Schengen Visas in 2024, Data Reveal

Travelers seeking a short-term visa that allows multiple entries into Schengen Area countries should consider applying for a German Schengen visa, as Germany offers the best chance of obtaining such a visa.

Despite being the second most popular Schengen Area destination, Germany's rate of issuing multiple-entry visas remains high. Newly released Schengen Visa Statistics reveal that in 2023, 90.4% of visas issued by German consulates were multiple-entry. This is only a slight decrease from 2022, when 90.6% of short-term visas issued by Germany allowed more than one entry into the Schengen Area.

In 2023, Germany received 1,459,560 visa applications and granted a positive response to 1,233,561 of them. Out of these approved visas, 1,115,424 were multiple-entry.

Other Schengen countries also show high rates of multiple-entry visa issuance, though they trail Germany. Austria, for example, issued multiple-entry visas for 75.7% of its approved applications in 2023. Austrian consulates received 229,613 Schengen visa applications and approved 194,273 of them, with 147,021 being multiple-entry. In 2022, Austria had a similar approval rate of 74.9%, though it ranked fourth at that time.

Italy follows Austria with 70.2% of its approved Schengen visas being multiple-entry in 2023, granting 680,794 out of 970,073 applications.

Other countries with notable multiple-entry visa issuance rates include:

• Switzerland: 69.1% out of 506,499 applications approved

• Greece: 66.1% out of 521,825 applications approved

• Croatia: 62% out of 29,785 visas granted

Conversely, countries like Slovenia and Estonia, which had high multiple-entry visa issuance rates in 2022 (81.6% and 81.3% respectively), saw significant drops in 2023. Slovenia's rate fell to 59.7%, while Estonia's rate was 60%.

In 2023, Schengen Area Member States overall issued fewer multiple-entry visas compared to 2022. The average multiple-entry visa issuance in 2022 was 58.1%, but it dropped to 54.2% in 2023.

Travelers had the lowest chances of obtaining a multiple-entry visa in the following countries in 2023:

1. Finland – 21.3%

2. Norway – 22.6%

3. Sweden – 25.7%

4. Spain – 27.2%

Germany not only excels in issuing multiple-entry visas but also maintains a low rejection rate. In 2023, German visa authorities rejected only 14.3% of visa applications, which is below the Schengen average rejection rate of 16%. This rejection rate was even lower than Germany's 2022 rate of 16.2%, while the overall Schengen rejection rate was 17.9% that year.

With these statistics, Germany stands out as the most favorable country for travelers seeking a multiple-entry Schengen visa in 2024.

By fLEXI tEAM