Exploring the top 10 countries with the highest Schengen visa rejection rates
Getting a Schengen visa can be a daunting task, with applicants from certain countries facing higher rejection rates than others.
The Africa Wealth Report 2024 indicated that while some countries in Latin America and Asia are exempt from the requirement, African nations often encounter significant hurdles.
Lengthy and cumbersome application processes, coupled with high nonrefundable fees, make rejections particularly costly for applicants.
Here's a breakdown of the top 10 countries with the highest Schengen visa rejection rates in 2022:
Algeria:
Algeria has the highest number of applications on the list. There were 392,053 applications and 179,409 rejections, Algerians face a rejection rate ten times higher than that of applicants from Canada, the report suggests. Algeria's rate is pegged at 45.8%.
Guinea-Bissau:
Despite only 7,990 applications, Guinea-Bissau had 3,611 rejections, signifying a 45.2% rejection rate.
Nigeria:
Nigeria, with 86,815 applications and 39,189 rejections, has an almost three-times higher rejection rate compared to applicants from Turkey. The rate stands at 45.1%.
Sri Lanka:
Out of 17,594 applications, 7,691 were rejected, with a rate of 43.7%.
Ghana (43.6%):
Ghana, with 42,124 applications and 18,363 rejections, experiences a rejection rate of 43.6%, which is four times higher than that of Russians.
Haiti:
Despite only 6,270 applications, Haiti sees a rejection rate of 42.4%, specifically 2,655.
Senegal:
With 56,866 applications and 23,683 rejections, the Senegalese rejection rate is 41.6%.
Guinea:
Guinea, with 11,806 applications and 4,791 rejections, faces a high rejection rate of 40.6%
Pakistan:
Out of 76,080 applications, 30,841 were rejected, representing 40.5%
Mali:
With 23,117 applications and 9,219 rejections, Mali rounds out the top 10 with a rejection rate of 39.8%.
By contrast, the report further noted that only one in twenty-five applicants residing in the US, Canada, or the UK were rejected, and one in ten were from Russia.
The Seychelles and Mauritius, along with 61 countries in Latin America and Asia, are exempt from the Schengen visa requirement. Additionally, some African nations like South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia, experience a relatively low rejection rate of less than 7%.
