Schengen Visa: Slovenia emerged as the toughest Schengen destination for Indian applicants, with a non-issuance rate of 46.1%.
Schengen Visa: More than 181,000 Schengen visa applications submitted by Indian travelers did not result in a visa being issued in 2025, according to newly released data from the European Commission. India remained the world’s third-largest source market for Schengen visas last year, with 1.15 million applications filed. However, 181,111 of those applications were not issued visas, resulting in an overall non-issuance rate of 15.8%.
The figures mean that roughly one in every six Schengen visa applications submitted by Indians failed to result in a visa. While several major European destinations maintained relatively low non-issuance rates, others recorded rates that were more than double the average.
Which Schengen Countries Had Highest Non-Issuance Rates For Indians?
Slovenia emerged as the toughest Schengen destination for Indian applicants, with a non-issuance rate of 46.1%. Nearly half of all applications submitted for Slovenian visas did not result in a visa being granted. Bulgaria followed with a non-issuance rate of 37%, while Greece recorded a rate of 33%, meaning about one in three Indian applicants failed to secure a visa. Malta and Estonia also reported high rates of 31.7% and 30.1%, respectively.
Among higher-volume destinations, Greece stood out for combining strong demand with a high non-issuance rate. The Greek Embassy in New Delhi processed more than 41,000 applications from Indians in 2025, with 13,532 applications not resulting in a visa.
The Netherlands and Austria also reported rates above the overall average. The Netherlands recorded a non-issuance rate of 20.6%, while Austria’s stood at 21.6%.
Which Schengen Countries Were More Likely To Approve Indian Visa Applications?
Germany, which processed more than 153,000 applications from India, reported a non-issuance rate of 10.5%. Italy recorded a rate of 12.7%, while Switzerland- the most sought-after Schengen destination among Indians in 2025- reported a rate of 13.6%. Belgium and Denmark recorded some of the lowest non-issuance rates among major destinations, at 7.7% and 6.9%, respectively.
Which Schengen Countries Recorded Highest Number Of Non-Issued Visas
Switzerland recorded about 30,700 non-issued applications, followed by France with roughly 29,500, the Netherlands with about 20,100, Germany with around 16,000 and Greece with approximately 13,500.