Which Schengen countries rejected most visa applications from India (2025)
What's the story
In 2025, over 181,000 Schengen visa applications from India were rejected, according to data released by the European Commission. This translates to a non-issuance rate of 15.8%. While India remained the world's third-largest source market for Schengen visas with over 1.15 million applications, the results varied widely by destination country. Some European nations had non-issuance rates exceeding 30%.
Visa rejections
Slovenia, Bulgaria, Greece had highest rejection rates
Among Schengen countries that received applications from India, Slovenia had the highest rejection rate at a staggering 46.1%. This means nearly half of all applications submitted for Slovenia were rejected. Other countries with high non-issuance rates include Bulgaria (37%), Greece (33%), Malta (31.7%), Estonia (30.1%), Croatia (27.1%), Austria (21.6%), and the Netherlands (20.6%).
Information
Greece was among most popular Schengen countries for Indians
Despite being a popular destination for Indian tourists, Greece had a high non-issuance rate of 33%. The Greek Embassy in New Delhi received 41,009 applications from India and rejected 13,532. This makes Greece one of the strictest Schengen countries for Indian applicants.
Visa approval
Popular Schengen countries with lowest rejection rates
Some of the most popular Schengen countries for Indians had relatively low rejection rates. Denmark had the lowest at 6.9%, followed by Belgium (7.7%), Germany (10.5%), Sweden (11.4%), Italy (12.7%), and Switzerland (13.6%). These countries maintained lower non-issuance rates despite receiving a large number of applications from India in 2025.