Schengen visa rejection cost Indians almost ₹90 crore in 2022

In 2022, Schengen visa applications from India surged by 415% as travel rebounded. The rise in applications led to a decrease in rejection rates, resulting in more visas being granted. However, recent data from Schengen Visa Info reveals that India still had the second-highest number of Schengen visa rejections worldwide. Over 100,000 visas were refused, amounting to an estimated loss of Rs87 crore on canceled trips.

How much did visa rejections cost India?

India received 671,928 visa applications last year, with 18% (121,188) being rejected. Although this rejection rate is lower than India's 2021 rate of 23.3%, it remains higher than the global average rejection rate of 17.9% in 2022.

Now, In India, the visa application fee for Indian citizens aged 12 and above with an ordinary passport is €80 or Rs7,200. The fee varies for children below 12, students, representatives of non-profit organisations, and citizens of other countries. On an average, India likely invested around ₹480 crores in visa applications last year, with approximately ₹87 crore lost due to 121,188 rejected applications.

Schengen visa: List of 10 countries with highest rejection rate

In 2022, the Schengen visa application process witnessed a considerable number of rejections, with Algerian nationals experiencing the highest refusal rate. 

• Out of 392,478 visa applications from Algeria, a staggering 179,409 were denied, resulting in a rejection rate of 45.8%. 
• India and Turkey followed closely behind with 121,188 and 120,876 rejections, respectively, indicating rejection rates of 18% and 15.2%. 
• Morocco and Russia also faced significant numbers of visa application rejections, with 119,346 and 68,753 rejections, corresponding to rejection rates of 15.5% and 28.2% respectively. 
• Tunisia had a rejection rate of 29.1%, with 48,909 rejections, while the United Arab Emirates experienced 42,105 rejections. 
• Additionally, Nigeria, Iran, and Egypt faced high numbers of visa denials, with approximately 39,189, 33,679, and 31,271 applications rejected, respectively.