With a record of more than 30 million visas issued since 2009, France leads the list of countries that granted most visas to foreign applicants, leaving Germany behind with ten million fewer visas issued.
According to Schengen Statistics, a total of 30.2 million France Schengen Visas were granted by authorities between 2009 and 2022. This means that France has issued 23.9 per cent of all visas from the top ten countries for this 13-year period.
Except for 2009, when Germany issued the most visas for the year – 1.49 million compared to 1.41, France remains an undisputable country for issuing most visas historically.
Visa Issuance in Pre-Pandemic Years Was Soaring
The number of applications received determines the number of visas issued, and France is a top destination for most applicants. However, the number of visas issued during the three-year period before the COVID-19 pandemic, between 2017 and 2019, was the highest recorded since 2013, when visas issued by European embassy authorities peaked at 12.3 million in total.
More specifically, 35.1 million visas were issued during the three-year period, with the majority of those being issued by France – 9.7 million or 27.8 per cent of the total.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, which includes years 2020 and 2021, the number of visas issued plunged to 3.8 million, which is the lowest level ever recorded.
Even during this time, France issued the most visas out of all European countries – a quarter of all visas issued in 2021 and 28.4 per cent of all visas issued in 2020.
Poland, Finland, Czechia & Switzerland Had Most Changes in Visa Issuance Rates Over the Years
Poland has had quite some developments in visa issuance, with the country issuing some of the most Poland Schengen Visa throughout the years. While in 2015, Poland was the fifth country to issue the most visas for the year, in 2021, this European country wasn’t even on the list of top ten countries.
Instead, it was replaced by Czechia, which in 2021 issued 200,053 visas to foreigners, ranking fifth country for issuing most visas for the year. Similarly, in the previous year, it was ranked fifth country to grant visas the most, while in 2015, it wasn’t even on the top ten list.
Finland has also issued fewer visas over the years – from being ranked fifth in 2015 to being last in the list of top ten countries in 2021. The following year, 2022, which is considered as most ‘normal’ following the COVID-19 pandemic, Finland once again became one of the countries to issue most Finland Schengen Visas, ranking eighth.
Switzerland, on the other hand, started issuing more visas in recent years. While between 2015 and 2020, the country sometimes made it to the top ten list and often did not, in 2021, it was ranked as the eighth country to issue most visas for the year.
The country went on to become the seventh country to issue most Switzerland Schengen Visas, granting a total of 319,841 in 2022.
