Schengen visa rejection rate for Türkiye sees decline

BRUSSELS

Visa applications for Schengen zone travel from Turkish citizens continued to climb in 2024, while the rate of rejections saw a modest decline, according to data released by the European Union.

Last year, Turkish nationals submitted approximately 1.1 million Schengen visa applications — a figure that positioned Türkiye as the second-largest source of applications globally, behind China’s 1.7 million. India followed Türkiye closely in third place.

One of the most notable takeaways from the EU's newly released figures is the rejection rate for applications originating from Türkiye, which stood at 14.5 percent in 2024, down slightly from 16.1 percent the previous year, indicating a limited but measurable improvement.

The data also highlighted the Schengen countries most frequently approached by Turkish applicants. Greece topped the list, having received more than 296,000 applications in 2024, followed by Germany and France, respectively.

Beyond the bureaucratic challenges, the financial burden associated with denied applications has become a growing point of contention. As application fees are non-refundable, Turkish applicants collectively lost more than 13.6 million euros in 2024 due to approximately 170,000 visa rejections, daily Milliyet has reported.

Visa liberalization remains one of Ankara’s longstanding priorities in its relations with Brussels. However, progress on this front has stalled for years, largely due to Türkiye’s failure to fulfill six out of the 72 benchmarks required under the EU’s visa liberalization roadmap — criteria that Ankara had previously agreed to meet.

While EU officials continue to voice a willingness to engage in dialogue on the matter, tangible steps remain elusive. Most recently, the European Parliament, in its annual report on Türkiye, called on member states to expand their administrative capacity to handle the growing demand for visas.

In the meantime, complaints over limited access to Schengen visas continue to feature prominently in the Turkish press, often accompanied by claims that certain EU member states have effectively "closed their doors" to Turkish nationals.

In a written statement issued on May 2, the Delegation of the European Union to Türkiye refuted such allegations, asserting that Schengen consulates are now processing visa applications at record volumes, surpassing even pre-pandemic levels.