Statistics Reveal Schengen Consulates Received Almost 17 Million Applications in 2019

Almost 17 million Schengen visa applications were received by Schengen embassies, consulates and visa processing centres in 2019, which is the highest number of applications received ever since the Schengen Area countries started granting this visa.

The most recent statistics published by SchegnenVisaInfo.com show that the number of applications has increased once again after decreasing last year upon the first increase in years, reaching a number of 16,955,541 applications filed by third-country citizens.

While in 2018, the Schengen states receive 16,016,599 applications, in 2017, there were as many as 16,955,541 applications received, 6.3 per cent more than in 2016, when there were only 15,192,556 applications. In fact, the number of Schengen uniform visa applications has been decreasing for five years now, except for last year.

Data shows that the rejection rate of visa applications has also been increasing over the years. While the refusal rate in 2017 was 8.2 per cent, in 2018 it increased to 9.6 per cent, and then again in 2019 to 9.9 per cent.

In 2019, the largest number of applications were received by the Schengen consulates in Russia, exactly 4,133,100 applications, or 24.3 per cent of the total number of applications received.

The rejection rates for visa applications filed in Russia was among the lower ones, at only 1.5 per cent.

After Russia, Schengen consulates located in the following third-countries received most Schengen Visa Applications in 2019:

• China – 2,971,032 applications received and a rejection rate of 3.8 per cent
• India – 1,141,705 applications received and a rejection rate of 10.8 per cent
• Turkey – 906,862 applications received and a rejection rate of 9.7 per cent
• Morocco – 705,293 applications received and a rejection rate of 20.5 per cent
• Algeria – 668,386 applications received and a rejection rate of 43 per cent
• Belarus – 645,722 applications received and a rejection rate of 0.3 per cent

The busiest Schengen consulate in 2019, was once again the Finnish consulate in St. Petersburg, with 644,858 Schengen visa applications received alone.

Despite the increase in application for 2019, the Schengen states expect that the drop in applications for 2020 will be drastic due to the Coronavirus pandemic. All Schengen countries have halted Schengen visa application and issuance all across the world, and it is unknown when the process will resume, or even when valid Schengen visa holders will be able to enter the Schengen area.

The Schengen Area consists of Europe’s most developed countries, and a large share of world countries need to apply for and obtain a Schengen visa, in order to visit any of the 26 member states for short term purposes like tourism, business, medical or study purposes, etc. Only the nationals of 62 world countries do not need a visa to the Schengen Area for short stays.

For country-specific data and more detailed information visit the Schengen Visa Statistics Portal.

The post Statistics Reveal Schengen Consulates Received Almost 17 Million Applications in 2019 appeared first on SchengenVisaInfo.com.