Visa rejections for Turkish nationals soar amid EU liberalization talks

The number of Turkish nationals denied visas has tripled from 35,971 in 2014 to 169,514 in 2023, a sharp increase in recent years. Over the same time span, this increase has caused the rejection rate to rise from 4.40% to 16.10%.

According to the Schengen Statistics Portal, the increase in denied visas has resulted in a loss of over €619 million in visa application fees for Turkish applicants between 2014 and 2023. Türkiye is the second-largest source of applicants for the Schengen Area, having spent €84 million on Schengen visas in 2023 alone.

Out of the more than one million visa applications that Turks submitted in the previous year, over €68 million were paid for visas that were granted, while approximately 170,000 applications were denied, costing €13 million. With 55,495 visa rejections, or 32.7% of the total, Germany was the country with the highest percentage of rejections, followed by Greece (21.3%) and France (19,586 denials, or 11.5%).

Visa rejections had different financial effects depending on the destination. At €4,439,600, Germany saw the largest expenditure loss, followed by Greece at €2,888,960 and France at €1,566,880. Significant financial losses were also incurred by other nations like Hungary, Italy, and the Netherlands as a result of visa denials.

Application fees for Schengen visas will rise by 12% on June 11, 2024, bringing the total cost from €84 million in 2023 to an estimated €95 million. Concerned about this increase, Turkish officials have called for the complete elimination of visa requirements.

The approval rates of Schengen member states differed significantly. Portugal topped the list with the greatest approval rate (93.3%), followed by Slovakia (82.8%), Italy (91.1%), Poland (86.6%), and Spain (86.5%). On the other hand, the lowest approval rates were recorded by Denmark, Estonia, and Lithuania, with 55.8%, 57.5%, and 63.9%, respectively.

The spike in visa rejections highlights the applicant frustration and the possible need for policy changes while talks about visa liberalization for Turkish nationals continue.