In 2023, EU and Schengen consulates saw 10.3 million visa applications, a 37% rise from 2022. China’s surge in applications led this significant increase.

The European Commission’s data reveals that in 2023, consulates of EU countries and Schengen-associated countries received over 10.3 million applications for short-stay visas. This marks a 37% rise from the 7.5 million applications in 2022 but remains below the pre-pandemic 2019 figure of 17 million.

Visa issuance in 2023 also stayed below 2019 levels but showed improvement compared to 2022. In 2023, nearly 8.5 million visas were issued, up from 5.9 million in 2022, yet still down from 15 million in 2019.

Top five countries by number of visa applications in 2023:

• China: 1,117,365 (2023), up from 92,780 (2022, ranked 22nd)
• Turkey: 1,055,885 (2023), up from 778,409 (2022, ranked 1st)
• India: 966,687 (2023), up from 671,928 (2022, ranked 3rd)
• Morocco: 591,401 (2023), up from 423,201 (2022, ranked 4th)
• Russia: 520,387 (2023), down from 687,239 (2022, ranked 2nd)

The global visa refusal rate slightly decreased from 17.9% in 2022 to 16% in 2023, but there were increases in specific countries. For example, Belarus saw a rise from 1.9% in 2022 to 3.4% in 2023, and Iran from 25.2% in 2022 to 30.3% in 2023.

In 2023, 54.2% (4.6 million) of the nearly 8.5 million visas issued allowed for multiple entries into the Schengen area, a slight decrease from 58.1% in 2022.

Additionally, Schengen states issued 85,200 uniform visas directly at the external borders in 2023.