Indians continue to show strong interest in Europe, filing over a million Schengen visa applications annually. However, in 2025, nearly one in six applications did not result in a visa, highlighting growing challenges in securing entry to the region.
According to fresh data from the European Commission, Indian nationals submitted around 1.15 million Schengen visa applications last year, of which 181,111 were not issued visas. This brings the overall non-issuance rate to 15.8%, with India remaining the world’s third-largest source of Schengen visa applicants.
Among European destinations, Slovenia recorded the highest non-issuance rate at 46.1%, meaning nearly half of all Indian applications were rejected. Bulgaria followed with 37%, while Greece reported 33%, making it one of the tougher destinations despite high demand. Malta and Estonia also saw high rejection rates at 31.7% and 30.1% respectively.
Greece alone processed over 41,000 applications from Indian travellers, with 13,532 not resulting in visa approvals. The Netherlands (20.6%) and Austria (21.6%) also remained above the overall average rejection rate.
Not all Schengen countries showed high rejection levels. Germany, which received the highest number of Indian applications at over 153,000, recorded a relatively lower non-issuance rate of 10.5%. Italy stood at 12.7%, while Switzerland—one of the most preferred destinations—reported 13.6%.
Belgium and Denmark offered comparatively smoother approval processes, with non-issuance rates of 7.7% and 6.9% respectively, among the lowest in the Schengen zone.
Overall, while demand for European travel from India remains strong, the data highlights significant variation in visa approval rates across countries.
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