The European Commission published its visa statistics for 2025 on 28 May 2026. Applications rose by 4.3% over the year, from 11.7 million to 12.2 million, and are still below pre-pandemic levels. Consulates issued 10.3 million visas. The share of refusals barely moved: 14.6% against 14.8% a year earlier.
The largest countries of application: a selection
| Where the application was lodged | Applications | Refused |
|---|---|---|
| China | 1,915,149 | 4.0% |
| Türkiye | 1,268,376 | 14.6% |
| India | 1,153,748 | 15.8% |
| Russia | 679,425 | 6.4% |
| Morocco | 619,827 | 19.2% |
| Saudi Arabia | 553,967 | 5.2% |
| Algeria | 444,577 | 31.3% |
| Egypt | 226,865 | 24.2% |
The figures are counted by the country where the application was lodged, not by citizenship: a foreigner living in Türkiye and applying there is in the Turkish row.
Where refusals are highest among countries with more than 30,000 applications
| Where lodged | Refused |
|---|---|
| Bangladesh | 54.5% |
| Senegal | 51.9% |
| Nigeria | 47.9% |
| Ghana | 46.5% |
| Pakistan | 45.9% |
At the other end are Belarus (2.3%), China (4.0%), Indonesia and Saudi Arabia (5.2% each).
Which consulates refuse most
France is the busiest destination — 3.1 million applications and 14.2% refusals — followed by Spain (1.7 million, 14.6%), Germany (1.5 million, 13.1%) and Italy (1.3 million, 10.8%). Among the larger destinations Belgium (26.1%), Portugal and Sweden (23.3% each) refuse most often.
The refusal form lists standard reasons, and most of them are about paperwork: the purpose of the trip is not justified, the means are not shown, the information does not add up. These are the things an applicant can fix before submitting.