Planning a Europe trip? These 10 countries had the highest Schengen visa approvals in 2024

If you're planning a European trip this year, Iceland may be your best bet for a Schengen visa. In 2024, Schengen visa approval rates averaged 52.20 per cent, meaning a little over half of all applications were granted across member states, according to data published by SchengenVisaInfo.

Iceland topped the list once again, approving 91.25 per cent of all visa applications it received, as reported by Schengen.News. While slightly lower than its 2023 rate of 94.26 per cent, the Nordic country saw a significant jump in applications, 35,416 in 2024, up from 22,541 the previous year, marking a 57.1 per cent increase.

Aside from Iceland, several other countries proved favourable for visa seekers:

• Slovakia – 89.25%

• Italy – 88.72%

• Romania – 88.36%

• Switzerland – 88.12%

• Hungary – 87.23%

• Norway – 87.20%

• Greece – 85.86%

• Austria – 85.78%

• Luxembourg – 85.65%

These figures indicate which Schengen member states were most likely to approve short-term visa applications in 2024, an important consideration for Indian and other non-EU travellers hoping to visit Europe with fewer bureaucratic hurdles.

In 2023, the top visa-approving countries included Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Slovakia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. While some overlap remains, 2024 saw Romania and Norway move into the top ten rankings, replacing Latvia and Poland.