Schengen visa statistics 2019: Russia remains the largest source country

15.05.2020

Brussels

Figures published by the European Commission show that the consulates of the Schengen States received almost 17 million applications for short-stay visas in 2019, a considerable increase of 5.9% since 2018. All the three largest source countries experienced solid growth, with applications in Russia topping 4 million (+11.8% compared with 2018) for the first time in five years, demand in China reaching almost 3 million (+5.2%), and applications in India exceeding 1 million (+5.6%) for the first time ever.

The percentage of visa applications that were refused continued to increase in 2019 but varied widely between countries, ranging from less than 2.5% in Russia, Belarus, Botswana and Indonesia, to more than 40% in Algeria, Comoros, Ghana, Guinea, Nigeria and Senegal. Worldwide, 8.9 million (59%) of the 15 million visas issued in 2019 allow for multiple entries into the Schengen area, while the share of multiple entry visas issued in the Russian Federation remains high, accounting for more than 80%.

For 2020, the European Commission estimates that the unprecedented global travel restrictions in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic will lead to a dramatic decrease in the demand for Schengen visas worldwide.

It bears reminding that the European Commission invited Heads of State or Government on 16 March 2020 to introduce a temporary restriction on non-essential travel to the EU for an initial period of 30 days, which was further prolonged for another 30 days on 8 April. On 8 May, the Commission invited Schengen Member States and Schengen Associated States to extend the temporary restriction on non-essential travel to the EU for another 30 days, until 15 June. Any further prolongation of the travel restriction beyond 15 June 2020 would need to be assessed again, based on the evolution of the epidemiological situation.

More information:

The full Schengen visa statistics since 2010 are available online.