Germany’s rates for issuing multiple-entry visas have consistently remained high, as the latest statistics reveal that 90.4% of visas issued by German consulates in 2023 were multiple-entry.
Also, the rejected ones were only 14.3% of the visa applications received globally, which falls below the Schengen average rejection rate of 16%.
Moreover, Germany leads as the country with the highest proportion of multiple-entry visas issued and boasts a relatively low rejection rate.
This rejection rate marks an improvement from 2022, when Germany had a higher rejection rate of 16.2%, compared to the overall Schengen rejection rate of 17.9% at that time.
For travellers seeking a short-term visa that allows multiple entries into the Schengen Area countries, applying for a German Schengen visa offers the best likelihood of approval.
Despite being the second most sought-after destination in the Schengen Area, Germany’s statistics show only a slight decline from 2022, when 90.6% of short-term visas issued were for multiple entries.
To illustrate further, last year, Germany received 1,459,560 visa applications and approved 1,233,561 of them, with 1,115,424 being multiple-entry visas.
Other Schengen countries with high issuance rates of multiple-entry visas
Aside from Germany, several other Schengen Area countries have issued multiple-entry visas at rates higher than the EU average, according to 2023 data.
While significantly trailing Germany, Austria ranks second with 75.7% of its visas issued being for multiple entries.
In the same year, Austrian consulates abroad received 229,613 Schengen visa applications, approving 194,273, of which 147,021 were multiple-entry. In 2022, Austria maintained a similar approval rate at 74.9% out of 125,275 visas granted, although it was ranked fourth at the time.
Italy was the third country with the highest proportion of multiple-entry visas (MEVs) in 2023, granting them to 70.2% of applicants (680,794 out of 970,073).
Following Italy, the list continues with:
- Switzerland – 69.1% out of 506,499 applications approved
- Greece – 66.1% out of 521,825 applications approved
- Croatia – 62% of 29,785 visas granted
Conversely, Slovenia and Estonia, which had high MEV issuance rates in 2022, ranking second at 81.6% and third at 81.3% respectively, saw a significant drop in 2023. Slovenia’s rate decreased to 59.7%, and Estonia’s to 60%.
Countries with the lowest chances of getting a multiple-entry Schengen visa
In 2023, Schengen Area Member States issued a reduced number of multiple-entry visas compared to 2022.
The data reveal that the average MEV issuance rate among the Schengen states was 58.1% of all visas granted in 2022, whereas last year saw a lower rate of 54.2% of visas issued for multiple entries.
In 2023, the countries where travellers had the lowest likelihood of obtaining a multiple-entry visa were:
- Finland – 21.3%
- Norway – 22.6%
- Sweden – 25.7%
- Spain – 27.2%