Indians wasted Rs 87 crore on 1,21,188 Schengen visa applications that Europe rejected

Planning a trip to Europe for Indians and a few other nationalities is now like applying to go to Mars. You might spend the money on applications, but there's no guarantee that the trip will actually happen.

According to recent data by SchegenVisaInfo.com, Schengen authorities rejected a staggering number of Indian visa applications in 2022. 

• A total of 1,21,188 visa applications from India were rejected, with the rejection rate standing at 18%.
• A total of 6,71,928 visa applications were made. 
• The reasons for the high visa rejection rate are not clear, with some on Twitter claiming that their visas were rejected arbitrarily and mercilessly. 

People who advise everyone to quit their jobs and travel the world, good luck getting those Schengen Visas.

— AH (@TaciturnToast) July 3, 2023

Other countries

• Algeria tops the list when it comes to the high rejection rate from Schengen countries. Almost 50% of visa applications were rejected from Algeria.
• The rejection rate for Algerian applicants stood at 45.8%, with a total of 1,79,409 applications rejected.  
• India and Turkey followed next, with 1,20,876 visa applications from Turkey rejected. 
• Morocco, Russia, and Tunisia also followed close by. 
• The rejection rate for Nigeria was also quite high, at 45.1%. 

Getting an appointment for a Schengen Visa is like winning in KBC

— Shreyas Bapat (@shreyasb94) July 9, 2023

[ALSO READ: 7 Indian passport holders walk in to VFS Delhi for a Schengen visa. Then all hell breaks loose]

How much money was spent? 

• It's not just the rejection rate that is staggering, but also the money spent on the applications. 
• One Schengen visa application costs Rs 7,260 or 80 euros. 
• In total, Indians spent a total of over Rs 487 crore on Schengen visa applications alone, for 6,71,928 applications. 
• Out of Rs 487 crore, more than Rs 87 crore was lost on the 1,21,188 visa applications that were rejected. 

[ALSO READ: Indian passport holders spent Rs 54 crore on German Schengen visa in 2022]