Why is there such a huge difference in refusal rates on Schengen Visa between countries?
If you look at the statistics, there is quite a difference on refusal rates per country, where Belgium tops the list with 16% in 2012 and the Baltics refuse less then 1%. It is not that Belgium receives most of the requests.
Do different countries have different standards when assessing a Visa application?
Best Answer
The EU also publishes detailed statistics that might shed some light on this (Excel file for 2013).
For example, Belgium has a 5.5% refusal rate for its consulate in Moscow. It's still much higher than Estonia's rate (between 0.5% and 0.8%) but the difference is not nearly as dramatic as that between overall acceptance rates. At the same time, Estonia gets virtually all its visa applications from Russia, the Ukraine (which have agreements with the EU) or Belarus whereas Belgium gets quite a few applications from Congo (its former colony) and Morocco. Those consular posts have refusal rates of 30% and more and weight heavily in the overall rate.
It's all anecdotal but I do believe some consulates (including the Belgian one in Congo, which handles most applications for Schengen visas there through the “maison Schengen”) evaluate applications much more skeptically and are prepared to reject them on the tiniest pretense, possibly based on the (perhaps not entirely unfounded) assumption that most Congolese would consider immigrating illegally at the first opportunity.
Also note the very high proportion of multiple-entry visas for Estonia in Russia. This suggests either that Estonia is very generous indeed or that it mostly gets applications from trusted travelers with a regular need to cross the border. Those applicants can get a visa much more easily than people from far-away countries wanting to visit their family for the first time.
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Which is the hardest country to get Schengen visa?
As for the most difficult, Belgium leads the way with a relatively high 16.9% of applications refused \u2013 the highest rate anywhere in the Schengen Area - but this still means that 83.1% of applicants are issued with a Schengen Visa.Do embassies know about visa refusal in other countries?
As long as there is no visa rejection stamp on your passport none will know that another country has denied your visa. Except for Schengen countries as they use the same system and they will be able to pull you information. In the Western world all of the embassies are linked into common computer networks and systems.Which country has the highest visa rejection rate?
Top 5 countries with the highest rate of visa rejections For the third consecutive year Malta remains the country with the highest rate of visa refusals with 25.23% of visa applications rejected in 2017, or 9,557 out of 37,881.What are the chances of getting Schengen visa after rejection?
IS IT POSSIBLE TO APPLY FOR A VISA AFTER REFUSAL? In 90% of cases, a Schengen visa can be opened almost immediately after refusal, if all the requirements of the consulate are met.Top 12 Reasons for Schengen Visa Rejection and Refusal of Europe Visa
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Answer 2
Based on what I have seen with friends in Thailand who have applied for Schengen visas, yes there seem to be different standards applied. Some countries seem much looser with issuing visas, while others require the applicant to jump through more hoops to qualify.
And who is applying could affect the statistics, as some countries could be more popular targets for folks coming from less likely to be approved countries.
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