Tunisia records highest rejection rate for Schengen visa in 2024
Tunisian nationals submitted a record 177,951 Schengen visa applications in 2024, marking an 11.4% increase from the previous year, according to new data.
Despite the surge in demand, access to Europe remains difficult for many, with over 38,000 applications rejected, representing a refusal rate of 21.39%, according to Schengen Visa Information.
Though slightly improved from 2023’s rejection rate of 24.35%, Tunisia continues to face one of the highest rejection rates on the African continent. The cost of applying also rose in June 2024, from €80 to €90 per application. With 38,055 applications denied, the financial loss for Tunisian applicants this year exceeded €3.4 million in non-refundable fees. Overall, Tunisians spent more than €16 million on visa fees in 2024.
France was the top destination, receiving 106,617 applications, which is about 60% of the national total, but it also rejected nearly 20% of them. Greece posted the highest refusal rate at 53.78%. In contrast, Germany showed a high approval rate, accepting over 84% of 85,476 applications.
Countries such as Romania and Slovakia received only a few hundred applications, highlighting the concentration of demand around Tunisia’s historical and linguistic ties in Europe.
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