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Schengen visa applications from Türkiye continued to rise in 2024, while rejection rates decreased compared to previous years, according to new statistics released by the European Union.
EU data shows that Turkish citizens submitted 1,173,917 Schengen visa applications in 2024, placing Türkiye second globally behind China, which led with 1,779,255 applications. India ranked third with 1,108,239 applications.
Of the applications submitted from Türkiye in 2024, 993,875 received positive responses, with 645,583 being multiple-entry visas.
This translates to a rejection rate of 14.5%, which is below the global average of 14.8% and represents an improvement from previous years.
In 2023, the rejection rate for Turkish applicants was 16.1%, with 867,646 approvals out of 1,055,885 applications. The 2022 rejection rate stood at 15.7%, with 645,842 approvals from 778,409 applications.
This data indicates a steady growth in application numbers and a gradual improvement in approval rates for Turkish citizens seeking Schengen visas.
Greek consulates processed the highest number of Schengen visa applications from Turkish citizens in 2024, with 296,377 requests.
Germany followed with 215,506 applications, while France ranked third with 151,640 applications.
Latvia received the fewest applications from Turkish citizens, with only 1,303 requests, followed by Estonia with 2,006 and Portugal with 2,163 applications.
Across all nationalities, France was the most requested Schengen destination in 2024, processing 3,072,728 applications, followed by Spain with 1,634,887 and Germany with 1,512,675.
Looking at historical data, the rejection rate for Turkish applicants remained relatively low until 2015, when it stood at just 3.9%. This figure began rising steadily afterward, reaching 4.4% in 2016 and 6.5% in 2017.
The most significant increase occurred in 2021 when the rejection rate peaked at 16.9%, up from 12.7% in 2020. The recent decline in rejections suggests a potential reversal of this trend.
Despite the improving approval rates, the visa liberalization process between Türkiye and the EU remains at a standstill.
Türkiye has yet to fulfill six of the 72 criteria required for visa-free travel to the Schengen Area.
The outstanding criteria include:
The European Parliament recently called on EU member states to increase their visa processing capacity for Turkish applicants, while the EU Delegation to Türkiye refuted claims that some countries have "closed their visa doors" to Turkish citizens, stating that Schengen consulates are processing record numbers of applications, significantly exceeding pre-pandemic figures.
Türkiye has reportedly shifted its focus toward securing visa facilitation measures until progress can be made on full visa liberalization.
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