Indians remained 3rd largest Schengen visa applicants in 2025; numbers climb in tough travel year

NEW DELHI: Indians remained the third largest applicants for Schengen visas globally in CY 2025, with 11.5 lakh did so with a rejection fee of 15.8%. Chinese language have been the largest applicants at 18 lakh with a rejection fee of 4.1%, adopted by nationals of Turkey (12.5 lakh) with a rejection fee of 14.6%, in response to knowledge launched by the European Fee (EC). “The highest 5 applicant nations remained largely unchanged,” the EC says, with applicants from Russia (6.8 lakh) and Morocco (6.2 lakh) being on the court docket and fifth spots.Regardless of hovering worldwide airfares and the rupee’s steep depreciation since final year, which have collectively made overseas travel costlier, 2025 noticed 4% extra Indians making use of for Schengen visas than in 2024. The rejection fee additionally climbed from 15% to fifteen.8% for Indian applicants in this era.“After the budget-friendly and nearer to dwelling Center East and Southeast Asia, Europe has been prime of the record for Indian globetrotters with its various points of interest, together with Switzerland, Greece, Amsterdam, France and others. We at the moment are seeing a rising development of sports activities tourism with a big variety of Indians going to observe matches there,” stated Rajesh Magow, co-founder and group CEO at MakeMyTrip.Amongst EU and Schengen-associated consulates, Switzerland noticed the utmost purposes in India at nearly 2.3 lakh and a not too excessive country-specific rejection fee of 13.6%. This was adopted by France at over 2 lakh, Germany at 1.5 lakh, the Netherlands at slightly below lakh, and Sain at about 91,000. The large different massive magnets for visa applicants included the embassies of Italy, Austria, Greece, Belgium and Sweden.“Switzerland and France (the highest two embassies in phrases of getting Schengen visa purposes in India) have actually smoothened visa software right here in phrases of each getting dates after which the turnaround time in phrases of getting the stamped passport again. Whereas the general turnaround time is 15 working days for Schengen states, Switzerland and France return in 7-10 days. Italy has a serious subject in date availability,” stated a number one travel agent who didn’t want to be named. At 46.5%, the very best rejection fee for Indians was in SloveniaTotal, 3.3 crore Indians had travelled overseas in CY 2025 — 6% greater than 2024 and 21.5% greater than pre-Covid 2019. Their prime 5 locations, in response to authorities knowledge, have been: UAE (86 lakh), Saudi Arabia (34 lakh), Thailand (22 lakh), USA (20 lakh) and Singapore (15 lakh).In accordance with the European Fee, the EU and Schengen-associated consulates globally obtained practically 1.2 crore purposes for short-stay visas in 2025 and over a crore visas have been granted. Whereas greater than CY 2024, each the variety of purposes and visas granted have been under the pre-Covid ranges.“Over 1 crore visas have been issued in 2025 —a 3% enhance from 2024 (97 lakh), however nonetheless wanting the 1.5 crore granted in 2019. The worldwide refusal fee held regular at 14.8%, unchanged from 2024, although some nations noticed important fluctuations. Refusals fell in Russia (6.4%, down from 7.5%), Algeria (31%, down from 35%), and Ethiopia (34%, down from 36.1%), however rose sharply 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%),” says the EC.