Top Five EU Countries Most Likely to Grant You a Schengen Visa Based on Your Citizenship

Schengen states issue millions of visas each year, with some countries being more generous than others.

According to statistics, certain nations are more likely to approve visas for specific nationalities, often due to social, cultural, or economic ties. In line with the 2023 approval rates, we have compiled a list of the Schengen countries that are most likely to grant visas to third-country nationals based on their citizenship.

If You Are a Chinese Citizen

Germany tops the list of Schengen states most likely to issue visas to Chinese nationals. In 2023, Germany approved 97.05% of visa applications from Chinese nationals, granting 155,950 visas out of 160,479 applications. The top five countries most likely to issue visas to Chinese nationals include:

1. Germany – 97.05%

2. Netherlands – 96.31%

3. Switzerland – 94.78%

4. Italy – 94.02%

5. Norway – 93.68%

If You Are a Turkish Citizen

For Turkish passport holders, the countries issuing more visas are not necessarily those receiving the highest number of requests. However, here are the five countries with the highest approval rates for Turkish Schengen visa applicants in 2023:

1. Portugal – 93%

2. Italy – 91.08%

3. Slovakia – 88.77%

4. Poland – 86.56%

5. Spain – 86.50%

If You Are an Indian Citizen

In 2023, most applications from Indian applicants to Iceland were approved, making it the country most likely to issue Indians a Schengen visa. India, after China and Turkey, is the third-largest source of applicants for Schengen visas in 2023, filing 966,687 visa applications. The five Schengen countries that had a higher chance of issuing visas to Indian nationals, considering approval rates, are:

1. Iceland – 95.43%

2. Germany – 89.53%

3. Switzerland – 88.02%

4. Belgium – 85.81%

5. Luxembourg – 85.79%

If You Are a Moroccan Citizen

Moroccan passport holders received 437,029 visas in 2023 out of 591,401 applications, resulting in an approval rate of 73.90%. The countries with the highest approval rates for Moroccan nationals include:

1. Switzerland – 83.89%

2. Poland – 83.12%

3. France – 81.26%

4. Portugal – 80.05%

5. Czechia – 75.60%

If You Are a Russian Citizen

Out of 520,387 visa applications filed by Russians in 2023, around 448,890 were approved, representing an approval rate of 86.26%. The countries with the highest approval rates for Russian applicants are:

1. Poland – 99.61%

2. Iceland – 97.50%

3. Slovakia – 93.65%

4. Italy – 93.47%

5. Czechia – 92.58%

If You Are an Algerian Citizen

Algeria, one of many African countries with low approval rates, saw around 63.01% of its visa applications granted in 2023, with 298,691 out of 474,032 applications approved. The EU countries with the highest possibility of granting Schengen visas to Algerian nationals are:

1. Czechia – 69.06%

2. France – 66.61%

3. Finland – 63.16%

4. Germany – 62.27%

5. Switzerland – 60.61%

If You Are a Saudi Citizen

Citizenship plays an increasingly important role when it comes to applying for a Schengen visa. Saudis, the seventh-largest nationality filing most visa applications in 2023, found that while France received most of their requests, the countries most likely to grant them visas were:

1. Slovakia – 100%

2. Switzerland – 97.06%

3. Austria – 96.97%

4. Italy – 96.30%

5. Spain – 94.32%

If You Are a UK Resident Who Needs a Schengen Visa

Residents in the UK who need a Schengen visa filed 405,631 applications, many to France. However, proportionate to the number of applications, the countries most likely to approve visas for UK residents in 2023 were:

1. Iceland – 98.50%

2. Czechia – 98.35%

3. Poland – 97.18%

4. Netherlands – 96.37%

5. Portugal – 96.21%

If You Are a Thailand Citizen

Thailand passport holders filed 270,504 visa requests in 2023, of which 252,013 were approved, resulting in an approval rate of 93.16%. The top five EU countries granting the most visas to Thai applicants in 2023 are:

1. Austria – 97.46%

2. Switzerland – 97.26%

3. Czechia – 96.14%

4. Italy – 96.08%

5. Portugal – 96.01%

If You Are a UAE Resident Who Needs a Schengen Visa

While UAE and UK citizens are not required to apply for a visa to enter the Schengen Area, foreigners living in these countries must apply for one if their country of origin lacks a visa liberalisation agreement with Schengen members. The EU countries with the highest approval rates for Schengen visa applications filed by UAE residents are:

1. Poland – 87.45%

2. Italy – 86.45%

3. Portugal – 84.76%

4. Switzerland – 82.01%

5. Belgium – 81.22%

Each country's approval rates vary based on the applicant's nationality, reflecting underlying social, cultural, and economic connections that influence visa policies.

By fLEXI tEAM