Schengen Visa rejection rate drops for Turkish applicants in 2024

Key Takeaways

• Schengen Visa rejection rate for Turkish applicants fell to 14.5% in 2024, down from 16.1% in 2023.
• Over 1.17 million Turkish Schengen Visa applications were filed in 2024, making Turkey the second-largest applicant globally.
• Turkish applicants now face lower rejection rates, but the process remains costly and visa liberalization talks with the EU are stalled.

The Schengen Visa remains a key travel document for people from many countries who want to visit Europe. For Turkish applicants, this visa is not just a travel permit—it affects family visits, business trips, education, and tourism. In 2024, important changes have taken place concerning the Schengen Visa rejection rate and the overall situation for Turkish citizens. This detailed analysis focuses on the main numbers, their meaning, and the difficulties Turkish applicants still face.

Background and Purpose

Turkish citizens have long shown strong interest in Schengen countries for different reasons. However, the journey to get this visa has not always been easy. The rejection rate has been a constant concern, as it directly affects people’s plans and causes financial losses. In 2024, there has been a decrease in the rejection rate, a change welcomed by many. The data and trends shown below will help make sense of this improvement and what it means for Turkish applicants.

Sources and Time Frame

This analysis is based on data from official Turkish and European sources, covering the period from 2014 to 2024. All numbers, statistics, and references are directly linked to official studies or reputable news outlets that have collected and published this information.

Key Summary

– In 2024, the Schengen Visa rejection rate for Turkish applicants dropped to 14.5%, down from 16.1% in 2023.
– Turkish citizens filed 1,173,917 Schengen Visa applications in 2024, making Turkey the second-largest applicant country worldwide.
– While more Turkish citizens are applying for Schengen Visas each year, the financial cost per application has also grown, adding to applicants’ challenges.
– Turkish applicants still face a higher rejection rate than ten years ago—rates were around 4.4% in 2014-2015.
– Visa liberalization talks between Turkey and the European Union remain at a standstill.

Growing Application Numbers

The number of Schengen Visa applications from Turkish citizens has steadily risen. In 2024 alone, 1,173,917 applications were lodged. This puts Turkey behind only China (1,779,255 applications) and ahead of India (1,108,239 applications). Figures over the past three years show this growth clearly.

Table: Schengen Visa Applications and Rejection Rates for Turkish Citizens

This table shows that as more Turkish citizens apply for Schengen Visas, the rejection rate has begun to drop, albeit slowly. In 2024, out of all applications, 993,875 visas were granted. Importantly, a large share of these, 645,583, were multiple-entry visas, giving successful applicants more flexibility to travel.

How Do Turkish Applicants Compare Globally?

The current Schengen Visa rejection rate for Turkish applicants (14.5%) is slightly lower than the global average rejection rate, which stands at 14.8%. This means that on average, a Turkish applicant is more likely to receive a Schengen Visa in 2024 than applicants from some other countries, though the difference is still quite small.

As reported by VisaVerge.com, this shift is drawing attention both in Turkey and throughout Europe, where the treatment of Turkish applicants is often discussed in the context of changing immigration policies.

Main Destinations for Applications

Turkish citizens do not apply equally to all Schengen countries. Instead, some countries receive far more applications than others. The distribution gives insight into travel patterns, business ties, and even family connections.

Chart Description: Imagine a vertical bar chart. The tallest bar is for Greece 🇬🇷, followed by shorter bars for Germany 🇩🇪 and France 🇫🇷. The shortest bars are for Latvia 🇱🇻, Estonia 🇪🇪, and Portugal 🇵🇹.

Key numbers:

• Greece’s consulates processed 296,377 applications from Turkish citizens in 2024.
• Germany had 215,506 applications.
• France received 151,640 applications.
• Latvia received the fewest Turkish applications: 1,303.
• Estonia and Portugal had only 2,006 and 2,163 applications from Turkish citizens, respectively.

These trends correspond to history, business links, trade, tourism, and family connections between Turkey and the respective Schengen States.

Historical Fluctuations in Rejection Rates

Understanding why the 2024 rejection rate is important requires a look at the past. Ten years ago, Turkish applicants enjoyed much lower rejection rates:

• In 2014-2015, rejections hovered around 4.4%. At that time, only a small part of Turkish applications were refused.
• By 2016, the rate rose to 4.4% and increased further to 6.5% in 2017.
• In 2021, rejection peaked at 16.9%, which was above the worldwide average of 13.4% for that year.
• 2022 and 2023 saw rates at 15.7% and 16.1% (or 21.7%, according to some sources), underlining sustained challenges.
• The recent drop in 2024 to 14.5% may signal the start of a change, but rates still remain far above where they once were.

Visual Representation: Imagine a line graph with the rejection rate on the vertical axis and years from 2014 to 2024 on the horizontal axis. The line starts low on the left, climbs sharply in the middle (2021), then slopes gently down in the final years.

What does this mean? While things are improving now, Turkish applicants have faced much tougher conditions compared to a decade ago. The present improvement is a good sign, but more changes are needed for the rejection rate to fall to earlier, lower levels.

The Financial Cost to Turkish Applicants

Getting a Schengen Visa is expensive for Turkish citizens. The application fee is €90 per person in 2024. But other costs usually arise, including payments for insurance, translation of documents, agency fees, and service charges. When everything is added together, a typical Turkish citizen spends between €150 and €200 for a single Schengen Visa application. Those who apply for extra services like priority (VIP) processing or earlier appointment slots may pay as much as €400 per application.

Calculation Example:
– Application fee: €90
– Insurance: €30
– Translation/other documents: €30
– Service/agency fee: €30-€50
– Total: €150-€200 (and up to €400 for premium or urgent cases)

With over a million applications in a single year, the total amount spent by Turkish citizens comes to about €85 million, based only on recent years. Since the visa fee is non-refundable, rejected applicants lose a considerable amount of money with each failed application.

Challenges and Ongoing Concerns

Even with falling rejection rates, Turkish applicants deal with several tough problems.

1. Stalled Visa Liberalization

Discussions between Turkey and the European Union about removing visa requirements have been going on for years. Progress has stalled, mainly because Turkey has not met six of the 72 conditions the EU wants for visa-free travel. This remains a stumbling block. As long as this process stays paused, Turkish citizens will continue to face paperwork, costs, and the possibility of rejection.

2. Strict and Unpredictable Application Rules

Many Turkish businesspeople have voiced frustration at the Schengen Visa process. The rules are seen as too strict and difficult to understand. In addition, getting an appointment can take a long time. Some applicants who hope to attend urgent meetings or events cannot get visas on time, which hurts business relationships or family plans.

3. Short Visa Validity and Repetitive Applications

Schengen Visas given to Turkish citizens are often valid only for short periods. This means that the same people, especially business travelers or those with family in Europe, must keep applying for new visas. This repeated application process not only creates extra work but also adds to the backlog and increases each person’s total financial cost.

4. Administrative Delays and Bottlenecks

The European Parliament has raised worries about slow processing, unclear criteria, and inconsistent treatment faced by applicants from Turkey. These bottlenecks make the system harder to follow and less fair.

Applicant’s Perspective: Many people see the system as complicated and costly, with little chance for their situation to improve until EU-Turkey relations move forward.

Comparing Current and Historical Trends

Looking at how trends have changed, it is clear that things are improving for Turkish applicants, but progress is slow. The current rejection rate of 14.5% is better than last year and below the world average. However, the rate is still about three times higher than it was a decade ago.

Some of the increase over the years may come from stricter security checks, migration policy changes, or issues in EU-Turkey relations. The recent decrease could show a return to more balanced policy as political discussions continue, or it may reflect better preparation and document submission by applicants themselves.

Limitations of the Data

It’s important to point out possible gaps or weaknesses in the available data:

• Sources sometimes give different numbers for the same years, which can make yearly comparisons tricky.
• Data about who gets rejected and why is sometimes incomplete.
• Changes in the Schengen system, like pandemic restrictions, may have influenced trends in ways not clear from the numbers alone.

Despite these limits, the main trends are still strong enough to reveal the main challenges and improvements for Turkish applicants.

What’s Next for Turkish Applicants?

If current patterns continue, Turkish applicants may enjoy slightly better chances of visa approval next year. The steady increase in applications shows that demand is still very high. Unless the European Union and Turkey make progress on visa-free travel, however, these challenges will likely continue.

For Turkish citizens thinking about applying for a Schengen Visa, paying careful attention to all requirements remains the best way to avoid rejections. Keeping track of changes on official government sites, such as the European Commission’s Schengen Visa page, can help applicants gather accurate and timely information.

Conclusion

The story told by the numbers is clear: more Turkish citizens than ever are trying to travel to the Schengen Area. At the same time, Schengen Visa rejection rates for Turkish applicants, after years of rising, have finally started to decline in 2024. Still, rejection rates are much higher today than a decade ago.

The financial burden should not be overlooked, as applicants risk losing hundreds of euros with every refusal. Short visa durations and ongoing delays continue to make the process harder.

What does the future hold? While this year’s better rejection rate suggests that things might slowly get better, real change may only come when Turkey and EU countries solve their differences on visa rules. For now, Turkish applicants should stay informed, prepare careful applications, and keep track of official updates to improve their chances.

VisaVerge.com’s investigation reveals that while a falling rejection rate brings hope, broader reform and smoother administration are needed to bring the Turkish-EU visa process closer to fairness and effectiveness. Until then, understanding the process and careful planning remain essential for every Turkish applicant seeking a Schengen Visa.

Learn Today

Schengen Visa → A travel document permitting entry to 27 European countries in the Schengen Area without border checks between them.
Rejection Rate → The percentage of visa applications denied by consulates, indicating the difficulty or strictness in approval processes.
Visa Liberalization → Negotiations or agreements allowing citizens of a country to enter another region without requiring a visa.
Multiple-entry Visa → A visa allowing the holder to enter and leave the Schengen Area multiple times within its validity period.
Consulate → An official office representing a foreign government, where visas are processed and issued to applicants.

This Article in a Nutshell

In 2024, Turkish applicants for Schengen Visas saw improved approval rates—rejections dropped to 14.5%. Despite rising application numbers and high costs, obstacles remain: short visa validity, frequent reapplications, and stalled EU-Turkey visa talks. Still, recent trends offer optimism, as applicants who prepare thoroughly can improve their approval chances.
— By VisaVerge.com

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