EU and Schengen-associated consulates received nearly 12 million applications for short-stay visas in 2025, marking a 1.8% increase from 2024 (11.7 million) and a 15.5% rise from 2023 (10.3 million), according to figures released by the European Commission. However, demand remains well below the 17 million applications recorded in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n
Over 10 million visas were issued in 2025 \u2014a 3% increase from 2024 (9.7 million)\u2014 but still short of the 15 million granted in 2019. The global refusal rate held steady at 14.8%, unchanged from 2024, though some countries saw significant fluctuations. Refusals fell in Russia (6.4%, down from 7.5%), Algeria (31%, down from 35%), and Ethiopia (34%, down from 36.1%), but rose\u00a0sharply in Cape Verde (21.4%, up from 13.4%), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (40.1%, up from 29.9%), Senegal (51.9%, up from 46.8%), and Burundi (53.4%, up from 40%).<\/p>\n
The top five applicant countries remained largely unchanged, with China (1.8 million), T\u00fcrkiye (1.25 million), India (1.15 million), Russia (679,000), and Morocco (620,000) leading the rankings.<\/p>\n
Of the 10 million visas issued, 51.2% (5.1 million) permitted multiple entries into the Schengen area, a slight decline from 52.2% in 2024. Additionally, Schengen states issued 83,790 visas at external borders, down from 85,118 in 2024.<\/p>\n
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