Schengen visa rush: Top 10 nations that are most likely to reject your visa; Check full list here

Of the 11.7 million Schengen visa applications filed in 2024, nearly 1.7 million were rejected, a rejection rate of 14.8%. But for some countries, the odds were far worse. Malta emerged as the toughest Schengen state to get a visa from, with a rejection rate that eclipsed all others.

According to data published by SchengenVisaInfo and cited by Schengen.News, Malta topped the list with a 38.5% rejection rate, denying 16,905 out of 45,578 applications. It was followed by Estonia, where 27.2% of the 12,125 applications were turned down. Belgium came next, rejecting 61,724 out of 255,564 applications — a 24.6% rejection rate.

Slovenia and Sweden followed with rejection rates of 24.5% and 24%, respectively. While Slovenia rejected 4,417 applications, Sweden’s rejection tally stood at 44,576.

Here are the ten countries with the highest Schengen visa rejection rates in 2024:

• Malta – 38.5% (16,905 out of 45,578 applications)

• Estonia – 27.2% (3,291 out of 12,125)

• Belgium – 24.6% (61,724 out of 255,564)

• Slovenia – 24.5% (4,417 out of 18,171)

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• Sweden – 24% (44,576 out of 188,623)

• Denmark – 23.7% (31,013 out of 132,158)

• Croatia – 19.3% (8,003 out of 42,165)

• Poland – 17.2% (19,277 out of 111,538)

• France – 15.8% (481,139 out of 3 million)

• Czech Republic – 15.8% (23,735 out of 150,629)

Though France processed the highest number of applications, 3 million, its rejection rate remained close to the average.

The data also highlights that some nationalities continue to face disproportionately high rejection rates. Applicants from Bangladesh and Pakistan, for instance, saw rejection rates soar past 62% in 2024.