Schengen Visa Rejections Surge in 2024, Malta Tops List With Highest Denial Rate

In 2024, a total of 11.7 million visa applications were submitted to the 28 Schengen countries that process such requests. Of these, approximately 1.7 million applications were rejected, amounting to an average rejection rate of 14.8 percent across the region. However, this general figure conceals significant disparities among individual member states, some of which have recorded sharply higher denial rates compared to others.

According to newly released data, Malta emerged with the highest rejection rate among all Schengen countries in 2024. With 45,578 applications received, Maltese authorities turned down 16,905 of them, resulting in a 38.5 percent rejection rate—more than double the Schengen-wide average. This makes Malta the most likely destination to deny a visa, outpacing all other participating nations.

Following Malta, Estonia held the second-highest rejection rate. Out of 12,125 applications received, 3,291 were rejected, putting Estonia’s rejection rate at 27.2 percent. Belgium was next, having received a substantial 255,564 applications, of which 61,724 were denied, marking a 24.6 percent rejection rate.

Slovenia and Sweden also posted high figures, albeit with different volumes. Slovenia processed 18,171 applications and rejected 4,417, reaching a rejection rate of 24.5 percent. Meanwhile, Sweden turned down 44,576 of 188,623 applications, for a rate of 24 percent.

Denmark denied 31,013 of the 132,158 applications it received, resulting in a 23.7 percent rejection rate. Croatia followed with a 19.3 percent rate, having rejected 8,003 out of 42,165 applications. Poland’s rejection rate stood at 17.2 percent, with 19,277 applications denied from a total of 111,538.

France, which received the highest number of applications by far—3 million in total—rejected 481,139, resulting in a 15.8 percent rejection rate. The Czech Republic had the same percentage, rejecting 23,735 of 150,629 applications.

While the list of countries with the highest rejection rates remains largely consistent with 2023, an overall increase in denials has been observed this year, indicating a tightening of entry standards or more rigorous application screenings.

In terms of applicant nationality, the highest rejection rates in 2024 were recorded among Bangladeshis and Pakistanis, with rejection rates exceeding 62 percent in some cases. This data suggests that applicants from certain countries face disproportionately higher hurdles when seeking entry into the Schengen zone, even as the total volume of applications remains robust across the region.

By fLEXI tEAM