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Securing visas to foreign countries, specially the US, UK and Canada, for any purpose has become an uphill task. A Schengen visa is an entry permit allowing short-term stays (up to 90 days in any 180-day period) in the Schengen area, for tourism, business, or other non-gainful purposes. It allows holders to travel freely within the 29 Schengen countries without border controls.
With the changed policies, migrating to foreign countries is proving a challenge in every segment. With the US, UK and Canada tightening rules for visa permits, migrants shifted focus to Europe for greener pastures. However, even those countries are not inviting Indians with open arms.
In 2024, nearly 1.65 lakh Schengen visa applications from India were rejected which led to a total financial loss of approximately Rs 136 crore of non-refundable fee. On an average, each visa application costs €85 (Rs 8,270). India is the third among the countries with the highest losses due to rejected Schengen visas. The other countries are Algeria and Turkey, recording more loss than India.
According to a report by Conde Nast, out of 11.8 lakh total visa applications filed from India, 5.91 lakh were approved and 1.65 lakh faced rejection, which is nearly 15%, according to the data released by European countries.
The countries which rejected applications from India in highest numbers were Algeria, China, Turkey and Morocco. In 2024, the global total of rejected Schengen visa applications crossed 17 lakh, costing €145 million fees from the unsuccessful visa applicants. Of this, Indian applicants contributed €14 million (Rs 136.6 crore). The highest rejection for Indian applications was from France, which denied nearly 31,314 applications, leading to a loss of Rs 25.8 crore. The other countries which rejected Indian applications include Switzerland – 26,126 rejections, costing Rs 21.6 crore, Germany -15,806 rejections, costing Rs 13 crore, Spain – 15,150 rejections, costing Rs 12.crore and Netherlands – 14.569 rejections, costing Rs 12 crore.
Additionally, the Schengen visa fee for Indians aged 12 and above was also increased mid-year from €80 to €90, taking the average to €95 for the year.
Children aged below 12 years, students, representatives of non-profit organisations, and other special cases are excluded from the visa fee structure. India spent nearly Rs 016 crore on Schengen visa fee last year. The rejection had a strong impact on travel agencies and also the travelers. It also affected business exchanges, tourism and academic opportunities.
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