Indians Schengen Visa Rejections: Indians Face Major Financial Setbacks Due to Schengen Visa Rejections

New Delhi: A growing number of Schengen visa denials are causing significant financial losses for Indian applicants. Since the visa application fee is non-refundable, each rejection leads to money lost. In 2024 alone, Indian applicants reportedly lost around ₹134 crore due to 1.65 lakh visa rejections. India now ranks third globally for Schengen visa rejections, with only Algeria and Turkey seeing higher denial rates. Data from the European Commission indicates that the visa rejection rate for Indian applicants stands at 15%.

Travel services provider CandyNest reported that Indian citizens filed 11.08 lakh applications for Schengen visas in the past year. Of these, 5.91 lakh received approvals, while 1.65 lakh were turned down. High rejection rates were also observed among applicants from nations such as Morocco and China. Overall, 1.4 million visa requests were denied worldwide last year, leading to an estimated global loss of ₹1,410 crore in non-refundable application fees.

France has emerged as the country with the highest number of Schengen visa rejections for Indian applicants, turning down 31,314 requests. Switzerland ranks second with 26,126 refusals, followed by Germany (15,806), Spain (15,150), and the Netherlands (14,569).

Recent hikes in visa application fees have added to the burden. The cost has increased from €80 to €90 for most applicants over the age of 12. However, children under 12, students, NGO representatives, and certain other categories are exempt from paying the fee.

Travel agencies and Indian tourists have raised alarms over the financial and diplomatic consequences of these rejections. They emphasize the need for greater transparency in visa procedures and warn that continued rejections could negatively affect people-to-people ties between India and Europe.