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Schengen visa from the UK: refusal rates by country and consulate (2025), Australia, New Zealand and Canada

Applying for a Schengen visa from the UK? In 2025, Schengen consulates in the United Kingdom did not issue 10.5% of the 506,166 applications they decided (European Commission); among the countries with at least 1,000 applications, the lowest rate was the Netherlands (1.0%). Fees in pounds, insurance and money to show for each country: Schengen visa from the UK, country by country.

How many Schengen visa applications made in the United Kingdom were not issued in 2025, country by country and consulate by consulate, with the easiest and hardest countries for applicants from the United Kingdom, with the latest figures for Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Official figures only.

Visa refusal ratesUnited Kingdom

Schengen visas · applications made in the United Kingdom · 2025: 10.5% not issued (53,398 of 506,166 decisions)

512,426applications
451,821uniform visas issued
53,398not issued
+3.6 ptschange on 2024 (6.9%)

Easiest Schengen visa from the United Kingdom, by the numbers: the lowest not-issued rate among Schengen countries with at least 500 decisions was Netherlands (1.0%); the highest was Iceland (32.0%). Full ranking by country and consulate. Of the 74 countries with the most applications, the United Kingdom ranks 23 (1 = lowest rate). Multiple-entry visas: 52.3% of uniform visas issued in 2025 (by country).

Source: European Commission, Visa statistics for consulates 2025 (XLSX, downloaded on 15 October 2026); European Commission, Visa statistics for consulates 2024 (XLSX, downloaded on 15 October 2026). Short-stay (Schengen) visas, calendar year. All years on the Commission website.

Australia, New Zealand and Canada · by citizenship: Latest official full-year figures for nationals of this country

3.2%Australia student visas refused · 2025-26 · 1,482 decisions
14.9%New Zealand visitor visas declined · 2025/26 · 1,212 decisions
85.7%Canada temporary resident applications approved · 2025 · 21,025 processed

Sources: Home Affairs BP0015 (to 30 September 2026, CC BY 2.5 AU); Immigration New Zealand (to 30 September 2026, CC BY 3.0 NZ); IRCC (2025, Open Government Licence – Canada); downloaded on 26 October 2026. Details and definitions below.

Statistics, not advice. These are official figures for all applications made in a past period. They cannot predict the decision on your application, and a lower rate does not make a visa easier for you: you must apply to the Schengen country where you will spend the most time (or, for equal stays, the one you enter first), at the consulate responsible for the place where you legally live. Always follow the consulate's official requirements.

Schengen visa rejection rate by country, applications made in the United Kingdom

Tap a column heading to sort. "Not issued" includes refusals and applications whose examination was discontinued. * Fewer than 100 decisions: the rate can swing a lot.

Spain6.0%3.9%138,195126,3368,138
France8.5%6.0%129,940118,55210,994
Greece24.5%10.3%36,08927,0648,814
Germany3.2%4.6%32,72531,2511,038
Netherlands1.0%1.5%25,71125,199250
Portugal7.3%3.4%21,01519,4821,533
Italy6.0%6.0%18,95617,8121,144
Denmark31.5%23.5%18,90012,1735,611
Switzerland10.6%12.8%16,12314,3621,709
Iceland32.0%14.5%15,80410,6615,007
Belgium14.7%19.4%12,13510,0951,747
Norway18.8%15.4%10,5998,6081,991
Malta11.3%5.2%5,2164,623591
Finland21.3%14.8%4,3093,291897
Austria8.1%12.2%3,9303,477317
Lithuania30.2%22.0%3,7352,5441,101
Poland13.5%3.0%3,7033,185504
Hungary10.0%13.9%3,2012,850316
Czech Republic4.0%1.9%2,6342,528105
Bulgaria28.7%8.5%1,9691,356546
Romania9.4%2.5%1,7421,577163
Latvia27.4%19.9%1,419986374
Luxembourg6.2%6.7%1,3641,26084
Estonia23.5%41.0%1,269971298
Croatia8.3%6.6%1,2361,098100
Slovenia8.9%8.4%28025525
Slovakia0.5%0.0%2212201
Sweden0.0%*–650

Source: European Commission, Visa statistics for consulates 2025 (XLSX, downloaded on 15 October 2026); European Commission, Visa statistics for consulates 2024 (XLSX, downloaded on 15 October 2026). Short-stay (Schengen) visas, calendar year. All years on the Commission website.

Easiest Schengen visa from the United Kingdom: lowest and highest refusal rates (2025)

Which Schengen country has the lowest rejection rate for applicants from the United Kingdom? Among the 25 Schengen countries that decided at least 500 applications made in the United Kingdom in 2025, Netherlands had the lowest not-issued rate (1.0%) and Iceland the highest (32.0%). Smaller numbers move too much from year to year to compare. These rates describe past decisions, not your chances. See the easiest Schengen visa from the United Kingdom: all countries and consulates ranked.

Lowest refusal rates

  1. 1Netherlands25,590 decisions1.0%
  2. 2Germany32,503 decisions3.2%
  3. 3Czech Republic2,634 decisions4.0%
  4. 4Italy18,957 decisions6.0%
  5. 5Spain134,580 decisions6.0%

Highest refusal rates

  1. 1Iceland15,670 decisions32.0%
  2. 2Denmark17,806 decisions31.5%
  3. 3Lithuania3,651 decisions30.2%

A lower rate is not a guarantee, and you cannot choose freely. Each rate mixes different travellers, purposes and documents. You must apply to the country of your main destination: the rule is on the European Commission page on applying for a Schengen visa (checked on 15 October 2026). Applying to a country you do not plan to visit mainly can itself lead to a refusal.

Source: European Commission, Visa statistics for consulates 2025 (XLSX, downloaded on 15 October 2026). Short-stay (Schengen) visas, calendar year. All years on the Commission website.

Multiple-entry Schengen visas issued in the United Kingdom (2025)

Multiple-entry visasUnited Kingdom · 2025

Schengen visas issued in the United Kingdom · 2025: 52.3% were multiple-entry visas (236,151 of 451,821 uniform visas issued)

49.4%in 2024
+2.9 ptschange on 2024
Netherlandshighest share: 97.3%
Francelowest share: 19.6%

Among the 25 Schengen countries that issued at least 500 visas in the United Kingdom in 2025, Netherlands gave the highest share of multiple-entry visas (97.3%) and France the lowest (19.6%). All Schengen visas issued worldwide in 2025: 51.7% multiple-entry. Multiple-entry Schengen visas by country and by place of application.

Source: European Commission, Visa statistics for consulates 2025 (XLSX, downloaded on 15 October 2026); European Commission, Visa statistics for consulates 2024 (XLSX, downloaded on 15 October 2026). Short-stay (Schengen) visas, calendar year. All years on the Commission website.

Schengen countries that issued at least 500 uniform visas in the United Kingdom in 2025, from the highest share of multiple-entry visas. Tap a column heading to sort. "Change" is in percentage points; * fewer than 500 visas issued in 2024. Not shown (fewer than 500 visas issued): Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden.

Netherlands97.3%97.3%no change25,19924,524
Italy90.2%86.7%+3.5 pts17,81216,069
Switzerland89.6%96.1%−6.5 pts14,36212,864
Belgium87.0%80.7%+6.3 pts10,0958,781
Croatia81.1%73.1%+7.9 pts1,098890
Denmark80.9%67.5%+13.4 pts12,1739,851
Iceland79.7%92.1%−12.4 pts10,6618,492
Malta76.9%60.6%+16.3 pts4,6233,553
Germany76.4%82.7%−6.3 pts31,25123,863
Portugal75.5%78.1%−2.6 pts19,48214,714
Greece68.1%80.7%−12.6 pts27,06418,425
Latvia67.7%90.3%−22.5 pts986668
Luxembourg65.5%73.1%−7.7 pts1,260825
Estonia64.5%81.1%−16.7 pts971626
Norway61.2%45.1%+16.1 pts8,6085,271
Poland55.6%66.5%−10.9 pts3,1851,772
Hungary53.4%51.8%+1.7 pts2,8501,523
Lithuania48.4%56.9%−8.5 pts2,5441,232
Czech Republic45.7%50.5%−4.8 pts2,5281,155
Romania45.2%38.7%+6.5 pts1,577713
Spain42.7%48.6%−5.9 pts126,33653,957
Austria35.5%27.3%+8.2 pts3,4771,234
Finland34.6%38.3%−3.6 pts3,2911,140
Bulgaria29.4%49.6%−20.1 pts1,356399
France19.6%5.8%+13.8 pts118,55223,264

Source: European Commission, Visa statistics for consulates 2025 (XLSX, downloaded on 15 October 2026); European Commission, Visa statistics for consulates 2024 (XLSX, downloaded on 15 October 2026). Short-stay (Schengen) visas, calendar year. All years on the Commission website.

What this share means, and what it does not. A multiple-entry visa "allows several visits to the Schengen area for as long as the visa is valid"; a single-entry visa allows one entry (European Commission, checked on 30 October 2026). Every visit is still a short stay, of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. A multiple-entry visa is not a long-stay visa, a work permit or a residence permit. The Commission's file only says whether each visa allows multiple entries: it does not say how long the visas were valid for. The share describes visas issued in the past, not your chances: the consulate decides the number of entries and the validity of each visa.

By consulate

Each Schengen country's consulates (or visa sections) in the United Kingdom, by number of applications in 2025. Where a country is represented by another, the applications appear under the country that decided them.

FranceLondon8.5%129,94010,994
SpainLondon5.9%82,8404,791
SpainManchester8.0%38,1752,974
GreeceLondon24.5%36,0898,814
GermanyLondon3.3%30,9271,017
NetherlandsLondon1.0%25,711250
ItalyLondon6.0%18,9561,144
DenmarkLondon31.5%18,9005,611
SpainEdinburgh2.2%17,180373
SwitzerlandLondon10.6%16,1231,709
IcelandLondon32.0%15,8045,007
PortugalLondon5.7%14,317820
BelgiumLondon14.7%12,1351,747
NorwayLondon18.8%10,5991,991
PortugalManchester10.6%6,698713
MaltaLondon11.3%5,216591
FinlandLondon21.3%4,309897
AustriaLondon8.1%3,930317
LithuaniaLondon30.2%3,7351,101
PolandLondon13.5%3,703504
HungaryLondon10.0%3,201316
Czech RepublicLondon4.0%2,634105
BulgariaLondon29.0%1,925540
GermanyEdinburgh1.2%1,79821
LatviaLondon27.4%1,419374
LuxembourgLondon6.2%1,36484
RomaniaLondon9.1%1,358124
EstoniaLondon23.5%1,269298
CroatiaLondon8.3%1,236100
RomaniaManchester10.2%38439
SloveniaLondon8.9%28025
SlovakiaLondon0.5%2211
BulgariaEdinburgh13.6%*446
SwedenLondon0.0%*60

Source: European Commission, Visa statistics for consulates 2025 (XLSX, downloaded on 15 October 2026). Short-stay (Schengen) visas, calendar year. All years on the Commission website.

UK visa refusal rates

The UK figures are by nationality: see UK visa refusal rates for all nationalities.

Australia student visa refusal rate for nationals of the United Kingdom (2025-26)

In the Australian financial year 2025-26 (July 2025 to June 2026), Australia refused 3.2% of student visa decisions for primary applicants who are nationals of the United Kingdom and applied from outside Australia (48 refused out of 1,482). In 2024-25: 2.2% (+1.0 pts). From July to September 2026: 9.3% (15 of 161 decisions, a small number: read with care). Like the UK, Australia counts applicants by citizenship, wherever they apply.

Primary applicants applying from outside Australia3.2%2.2%9.3%*1,48248
Primary applicants applying in Australia11.4%16.1%12.4%*876100
Family members (secondary applicants)12.8%*26.5%*–20326
All student visa applicants6.8%9.1%12.0%*2,561174

Source: Australian Government Department of Home Affairs, BP0015 Student visa grant rates (XLSX on data.gov.au, decisions to 30 September 2026, downloaded on 26 October 2026), licensed under CC BY 2.5 AU. Student visas (subclass 500); refusal rate = refused ÷ (granted + refused), the complement of the Department's grant rate. The Department says the figures are provisional and is not responsible for our analysis. * Fewer than 500 decisions; – fewer than 100.

Student visas by education sector (primary applicants outside Australia)

Non-award courses0.1%0.2%9761
Higher education (university)4.4%*2.1%*29313
Vocational education and training (VET)23.9%*18.1%*13432

Source: Home Affairs, BP0015 Student visa grant rates, same file as above (decisions to 30 September 2026, downloaded on 26 October 2026, CC BY 2.5 AU). * Fewer than 500 decisions; – fewer than 100. Not shown (fewer than 100 decisions in 2025-26): Postgraduate research, Schools, Foreign Affairs or Defence, English language courses (ELICOS).

Month by month (primary applicants outside Australia)

  1. 12%Oct
    2025     52 decisions
  2. 2%Nov
    2025     154 decisions
  3. 2%Dec
    2025     159 decisions
  4. 3%Jan
    2026     77 decisions
  5. 7%Feb
    2026     70 decisions
  6. 6%Mar
    2026     47 decisions
  7. 4%Apr
    2026     139 decisions
  8. 2%May
    2026     411 decisions
  9. 3%Jun
    2026     246 decisions
  10. 7%Jul
    2026     85 decisions
  11. 15%Aug
    2026     39 decisions
  12. 8%Sep
    2026     37 decisions

Source: Home Affairs BP0015, same file as above (decisions to 30 September 2026, downloaded on 26 October 2026, CC BY 2.5 AU). Each bar is the share of decisions in that month that were refusals; monthly figures can be small and move a lot.

Year by year

2016-170.5%2,1351.3%4,027
2017-182.5%2,0343.5%4,274
2018-191.3%1,8732.2%4,334
2019-201.0%1,0932.3%3,756
2020-215.5%*3081.0%2,492
2021-222.4%1,1923.8%2,586
2022-232.7%1,7342.9%3,095
2023-241.5%1,6053.7%2,531
2024-252.2%1,5989.1%2,765
2025-263.2%1,4826.8%2,561
July to September 2026 (2026-27)9.3%*16112.0%*484

Source: Home Affairs, BP0015 Student visa grant rates, same file as above (decisions to 30 September 2026, downloaded on 26 October 2026, CC BY 2.5 AU). Financial years run from July to June.

All nationalities, by sector and month: Australia student visa refusal rate by nationality.

New Zealand visa decline rate for nationals of the United Kingdom (2025/26)

In the New Zealand financial year 2025/26 (July 2025 to June 2026), Immigration New Zealand declined 14.9% of visitor visa applications from nationals of the United Kingdom (180 declined out of 1,212 decided); 2.9% of student visa applications (520 decisions); 3.7% of work visa applications (11,846 decisions). INZ counts applications by the country that issued the passport, and its "declined" figure includes applications that were withdrawn, so these rates are not directly comparable with the UK or Australian refusal rates.

Visitor visas14.9%14.5%13.9%*1,212180
Student visas2.9%3.3%2.6%*52015
Work visas3.7%4.1%3.7%11,846438

Source: Immigration New Zealand (Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment): Visitors Visas decided (applications), by nationality and financial year of decision; Student Visas decided (applications), by nationality and financial year of decision; Work Visas decided (applications), by nationality and financial year of decision (PDF, prepared 8 October 2026, decisions to 30 September 2026, downloaded on 26 October 2026). Crown copyright, licensed under CC BY 3.0 NZ (copyright notice). Decline rate = declined ÷ (approved + declined), applications; INZ counts withdrawn applications as declined. Financial years run from July to June.

New Zealand, year by year

2016/1711.6%1,2512.0%1,2886.2%26,258
2017/189.9%1,2742.0%1,2555.6%24,662
2018/1911.8%1,1473.0%1,3624.8%23,502
2019/209.0%1,3732.5%1,1115.3%18,775
2020/214.9%4,4873.3%7584.2%12,868
2021/225.1%3,3422.4%7202.9%11,551
2022/2313.3%1,8014.5%8083.5%15,195
2023/2415.2%1,4212.8%5364.0%14,494
2024/2514.5%1,2213.3%5214.1%12,167
2025/2614.9%1,2122.9%5203.7%11,846
July to September 2026 (2026/27)13.9%*2442.6%*1143.7%3,469

Source: Immigration New Zealand statistics, same PDFs as above (prepared 8 October 2026, downloaded on 26 October 2026, Crown copyright, CC BY 3.0 NZ). Declined includes withdrawn applications.

* Fewer than 500 decisions; – fewer than 100. All nationalities: New Zealand visa decline rate by nationality.

Canada: temporary resident applications from the United Kingdom approved (2025)

In 2025, IRCC approved 85.7% of the temporary resident applications from the United Kingdom that it processed (18,020 approved out of 21,025 people). This share mixes visitor visas, study permits and work permits, first applications and extensions; "processed" includes applications refused and withdrawn, so the other 14.3% were refused or withdrawn. In 2024: 85.5%. January to August 2026: 85.8% (18,820 processed).

No study permit or visitor visa refusal rate. For each country IRCC publishes only the number of new study permit applications processed (1,170 from the United Kingdom in 2025) and the number of visitor visas approved (90), never both for the same visa, so a study permit or visitor visa refusal rate cannot be calculated from the official files.

January to August 202685.8%18,82016,1551,37020
202585.7%21,02518,0201,17090
202485.5%21,54018,4151,070105
202385.3%22,85019,5001,735110

Source: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), Operational Processing – Monthly IRCC Updates: temporary resident applications processed, temporary resident applications approved, new study permit applications processed, visitor visas (V-1) approved (XLSX, data as of September 1, 2026, downloaded on 26 October 2026). Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. IRCC rounds counts to the nearest 5 and does not publish counts from 1 to 4; the data are operational and subject to change.

Approved share, month by month (all temporary resident applications)

  1. 79%Sep
    2025     1,215 processed
  2. 77%Oct
    2025     995 processed
  3. 60%Nov
    2025     1,050 processed
  4. 77%Dec
    2025     810 processed
  5. 85%Jan
    2026     1,060 processed
  6. 91%Feb
    2026     2,605 processed
  7. 88%Mar
    2026     3,520 processed
  8. 87%Apr
    2026     2,650 processed
  9. 88%May
    2026     2,710 processed
  10. 85%Jun
    2026     2,530 processed
  11. 80%Jul
    2026     1,910 processed
  12. 75%Aug
    2026     1,835 processed

Source: IRCC, same files as above (data as of September 1, 2026, downloaded on 26 October 2026). Each bar is approved ÷ processed in that month. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada.

All countries: Canada temporary resident approval rate by country.

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How to read these figures

Other countries where people apply

Saudi Arabia5.2% not issued in 2025Algeria31.3% not issued in 2025Morocco19.2% not issued in 2025Russia6.4% not issued in 2025United Arab Emirates24.2% not issued in 2025Thailand5.9% not issued in 2025Philippines6.9% not issued in 2025Egypt24.2% not issued in 2025

Living in the United Kingdom? Schengen visa from the UK: which country refuses least, the €90 fee in pounds, insurance and money to show, country by country.

Schengen visa refusal rates by country, 2025 · Multiple-entry Schengen visas by country · UK visa refusal rates by nationality · Australia · New Zealand · Canada · Visa income calculator