5 EU Countries Most Likely to Issue a Schengen Visa Based on Your Citizenship

Schengen states issue millions of Schengen visas every year, with some countries being more  ‘generous’ than others.

According to statistics published by SchengenVisaInfo, some countries are more likely to approve visas for certain nationalities than others, which can happen due to social, cultural or economic ties.

In line with the 2023 approval rates, Schengen.News has compiled a list of Schengen countries that are most likely to grant visas to third-country nationals, based on their citizenship.

If You Are a Chinese Citizen

Germany is the Schengen state that is most likely to issue a visa to Chinese nationals. In 2023, Germany approved 97.05 per cent of visas filed by Chinese nationals, accounting for 155,950 granted visas out of 160,479 applications.

The top five countries that were most likely to issue visas to Chinese nationals include:

1. Germany – 97.05 per cent
2. Netherlands – 96.31 per cent
3. Switzerland – 94.78 per cent
4. Italy – 94.02 per cent
5. Norway – 93.68 per cent

If You Are a Turkish Citizen

For Turkish passport holders, countries that issue more visas are not necessarily those that receive the highest number of requests. However, here are the five countries with the highest approval rates for Turkish Schengen visa applicants in 2023:

1. Portugal – 93 per cent
2. Italy – 91.08 per cent
3. Slovakia – 88.77 per cent
4. Poland – 86.56 per cent
5. Spain – 86.50 per cent

If You Are an Indian Citizen

In 2023, most applications from Indian applicants to Iceland were approved, making the country most likely to issue Indians a Schengen visa. After China and Turkiye, India is the third-largest source of applicants for Schengen Visas in 2023, filing 966,687 visa applications.

The five Schengen countries that had a higher chance of issuing visas to Indian nationals, taking into account the approval rates, are as follows:

1. Iceland – 95.43 per cent
2. Germany – 89.53 per cent
3. Switzerland – 88.02 per cent
4. Belgium – 85.81 per cent
5. Luxembourg – 85.79 per cent

If You Are a Moroccan Citizen

Moroccan passport holders have received 437,029 visas in 2023, out of 591,401 applications. This takes the approval rates for this nationality to 73.90 per cent.

However, countries that stood out the most for having the highest approval rates, include the following:

1. Switzerland – 83.89 per cent
2. Poland – 83.12 per cent
3. France – 81.26 per cent
4. Portugal – 80.05 per cent
5. Czechia – 75.60 per cent

If You Are a Russian Citizen

Out of 520,387 visa applications filed by Russians in 2023, around 448,890 were approved, representing an approval rate of 86.26 per cent.

According to the data, here are the countries with the highest approval rates for Russian applicants:

1. Poland – 99.61 per cent
2. Iceland – 97.50 per cent
3. Slovakia – 93.65 per cent
4. Italy – 93.47 per cent
5. Czechia – 92.58 per cent

If You Are an Algerian Citizen

Algeria is one of many African countries with low approval rates – around 63.01 per cent. In 2023, 298,691 out of 474,032 visa applications were granted.

These are the EU countries with the highest possibility of granting Schengen visas to Algerian nationals in 2023:

1. Czechia – 69.06 per cent
2. France – 66.61 per cent
3. Finland – 63.16 per cent
4. Germany – 62.27 per cent
5. Switzerland – 60.61 per cent

If You Are a Saudi Citizen

Citizenship can play an increasingly important role when it comes to applying for a Schengen visa. Saudis are the seventh-largest nationality to file most visa applications in 2023.

While France received most visa requests by this nationality group, the following countries were most likely to grant Saudi Schengen visas.

1. Slovakia – 100 per cent
2. Switzerland – 97.06 per cent
3. Austria – 96.97 per cent
4. Italy – 96.30 per cent
5. Spain – 94.32 per cent

If You Are a UK Resident Who Needs a Schengen Visa

Residents in the UK who need a Schengen visa have filed 405,631 visa applications, many of them to France. However, in proportion to the number of visa applications, here are the countries that were most likely to approve visas to UK residents in 2023:

1. Iceland – 98.50 per cent
2. Czechia – 98.35 per cent
3. Poland – 97.18 per cent
4. Netherlands – 96.37 per cent
5. Portugal – 96.21 per cent

If You Are a Thailand Citizen

Thailand passport holders filed 270,504 visa requests in 2023, of which 252,013 were approved. This takes the approval rates for this nationality to 93.16 per cent.

The top five EU countries that granted Thai applicants the most visas in 2023 are as follows:

1. Austria – 97.46 per cent
2. Switzerland – 97.26 per cent
3. Czechia – 96.14 per cent
4. Italy – 96.08 per cent
5. Portugal – 96.01 per cent

If You Are a UAE Resident Who Needs a Schengen Visa

The UAE and UK citizens are not required to apply for a visa to enter the Schengen Area. However, foreigners living in these two countries must apply for one if their country of origin still needs to have a visa liberalisation agreement with Schengen Members.

In that case, the EU countries that have the highest approval rates for Schengen visa applications filed by UAE residents include the following:

1. Poland – 87.45 per cent
2. Italy – 86.45 per cent
3. Portugal – 84.76 per cent
4. Switzerland – 82.01 per cent
5. Belgium – 81.22 per cent