france tourist visa rejection rate

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Visas for France: how often are they refused and for what reasons?

Nearly 3 million visas were requested in 2023.

More than 506,000 visa applications were refused in 2023, according to provisional figures from France’s Interior Ministry.

Just under 3 million visas requested across the year, meaning that a little more than one in six were refused.

The figure includes short-stay visas for those without visa-free access to the Schengen Zone, which accounted for the vast majority of applications.

This includes people from countries including China, India, and those in North Africa, but not, for example, Australians, Britons or Americans, who do not need tourist visas.

The list of countries that currently do not need a visa (but will soon need a visa waiver) can be found below:

Read more: 59 countries affected by new EU visa-free scheme

However one-year long-stay visas and ‘talent passport’ visas are also included in the figures.

Despite an increase in applications compared to 2022 (an extra 700,000), only 6,000 additional visas were refused compared to the year before, when 500,000 were denied.

These figures are considerably below pre-Covid levels, however, where 4.2 million visas were demanded and over 680,000 refused.

There are a number of reasons visas can be refused, ranging from incorrect paperwork to a lack of funds to cover your visit.

What visas are included in the figures?

The Interior Ministry's provisional information for 2023’s visa applications mostly covers visa de court séjour applications.

As a reminder, those from a country which does not have a visa-free access agreement with the EU need to obtain a visa to enter, which is a visa de court séjour .

These visas last for 90 days, and are obtained for people visiting the country mostly for tourist reasons.

Britons, Americans, Australians, Canadians, Japanese, New Zealanders, Brazilians, and many others do not currently need any visa to enter the EU, provided they leave within 90 days and do not break the 90/180 day rules.

This will soon change, thanks to the implementation of the EU’s new border security systems, the Entry/Exit System and Etias.

They will instead have to apply for a visa waiver before their visit.

Read more: What is the EU’s Etias visa waiver scheme?

There were 2,139,937 short-stay visas requested, an increase of 47.2% on the year before, largely spurred by a return to global tourism after the pandemic and in particular from Chinese visitors.

Long-stay visas ( visa de long séjour ) were broken down into reasons for application, with ‘economical’ reasons (full-time employment, job transfers, seasonal workers) and ‘familial’ ones being the most common.

The number of ‘humanitarian’ long-stay visas (not the same as asylum seekers) saw a 39% drop compared to the previous year, with only 9,579 being approved.

A 20.2% increase in long-stay visitor visas (such as the VLS-TS or visa long séjour valant titre de séjour) was recorded, although there are no national breakdowns for who applied for these specifically.

Overall, 295,447 of these visas were handed out, only a 6.6% increase on the previous year.

Who applied for the most visas?

The Chinese were the highest number of applicants, requesting over 370,00 visas.

This was followed by Moroccan (240,000), Indian (213,000), Algerian (209,000) and Turkish (130,000).

These, alongside the rest of the top 15 – Russian, Saudi Arabian, Tunisian, Lebanese, Filipino, Thai, Egyptian, Ivorian, South African, and Nigerian – made up almost 75% of all visa applications.

Why can visas be rejected?

There is no breakdown for the reason visas were refused precisely, however there are a number of common reasons that visas can be refused.

The most likely of these is issues with supporting documents.

People coming on short-stay visas need to prove they have suitable health insurance for their journey, a place to stay, and proof of travel arrangements to leave the bloc before their visa expires.

They also need to prove they have enough funds to cover their journey – around €65 per day spent in the bloc, and if staying with a host, the host needs to have at least €33 per day.

Another common reason a visa can be denied is if you applied for the wrong one (i.e a tourist visa as opposed to a seasonal worker visa), in which case you will need to reapply.

Any doubt over the validity of your travel documents (passport, ID card etc) will also see your visa refused.

Finally, people who have previously overstayed their visa requirements, particularly for the Schengen bloc, may be refused entry.

The full provisional data from the Interior Ministry can be found here .

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How to appeal a visa refusal

If the French consular authorities in your country of residence reject your request for a visa, you can ask them to review their decision or appeal to the Commission charged with visa refusal appeals.

Express or implicit visa refusal and informal appeal

A visa refusal may come in two forms. It is express if you receive a written notification of refusal from the Consulate; the refusal is implicit if you do not receive a response within two months of the submission of your request.

Since November 1st, 2016, the French consular authorities are required to justify their decisions to refuse visas for foreign students. So don't hesitate to file an informal appeal with the French Consul in order to learn the reasons for the refusal and to request that the decision be overturned.

The Commission charged with visa refusal appeals

If the informal appeal is not accepted, you can appeal to the Commission de Recours contre les décisions de Refus de Visa d'entrée en France (CRRV - the Commission charged with visa refusal appeals). This procedure is a mandatory preliminary before any appeal to an administrative judge. It must be made within 30 days of the express or implicit refusal of the visa .

You may appeal to the CRRV in person, through a lawyer or through a family member with a mandate. Your request must be in French and be sent by regular mail to the following address:

Commission de recours contre les Décisions de refus de visa d’entrée en France BP 83609 44036 NANTES Cedex 01

Appealing a visa refusal to an administrative tribunal

The Commission de recours contre les refus de visa d'entrée en France may recommend that the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of the Interior grant your visa. They may also expressly (in writing) or implicitly (by not responding within two months) reject your appeal.

If the CRRV rejects your appeal or if the Ministers confirm the visa refusal despite the recommendation of the Commission, you can, within the next two months, lodge an annulment appeal with the administrative tribunal of Nantes .

Related contents

• Visit the official website of the French administration for further information https://lannuaire.service-public.fr/gouvernement/conseil-comite-commission-organisme-consultatif_171675

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Africans who apply for Schengen visas face high rejection rates – migration scholar explains why

Professor, European University Institute and Johns Hopkins University, European University Institute

Disclosure statement

Mehari Taddele Maru was commissioned to write a chapter for the July 2024 Henley & Partners Global Report.

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Africans face a high rejection rate for visas to enter the Schengen group of countries. The group is made up of 29 European countries that have officially abolished border controls at their mutual borders. A Schengen visa is an entry permit for non-EU nationals which would allow them to make a short, temporary visit of up to 90 days in the Schengen area.

In 2023, the Schengen states generated US$906 million from visa applications, of which US$145 million came from rejected visa applications. These refusals in 2023 cost African nationals US$61 million in application fees.

A recent report by the British migration consultancy Henley & Partners shows that African countries accounted for seven of the top ten countries with the highest Schengen visa rejection rates in 2022. The Conversation Africa’s Godfred Akoto Boafo asks migration scholar Mehari Taddele Maru , who contributed to the report, why rejection rates for Africans are so high.

Whose visa applications are rejected?

I analysed the EU’s data on visa applications between 2009 and 2023 and found a dramatic increase in the rate of rejection for Schengen visa applicants. In 2014, 18% of African visa applications were rejected, while the global rejection rate was 5%. By 2022, the rejection rate for African applicants had risen to 30%, and the global rate increased to 17.5%.

Of the top 10 countries with high Schengen visa rejection rates in 2022, seven were from Africa. Among these were Algeria, Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria and Ghana.

The increase in visa rejection rates is associated with the EU’s visa policy.

We also identified two key factors – income and passport power – that may explain why African applicants face higher Schengen visa rejection rates.

Rich countries with high income levels (measured by GDP and GNI) usually have stronger passports (as measured by Henley Passport Power , an index based on International Air Transport Authority data). This means their citizens can visit several countries without visas. A strong passport gives people mobility in search of economic opportunities.

In contrast, people from poorer countries (including most African nations) have weaker passports. This means their travel options are significantly reduced without visas.

We also uncovered a link between African countries’ low rankings in national income and passport power indices and higher rates of visa rejection.

Consequently, it is harder for Africans to travel as their visa applications are more likely to be rejected.

Why are visa applications rejected?

Officially, visa rejections are often attributed to doubts about an applicant’s intention to leave the destination country before the visa expires. According to European states, most rejections are based on reasonable doubts about the visa applicant’s intention to return home.

As provided under the EU Visa Code Handbook , the assessment of a visa applicant’s intention to return home is based on circumstantial evidence. Consular officers have broad powers of discretion to decide this. They consider three key factors through documentation:

the stability of the applicant’s socio-economic situation in their country of residence

proof of employment or business activities

family and community ties.

Supporting documents may include proof of financial means, property ownership, employment contracts, business records and travel arrangements. The most favourable visa candidates often demonstrate strong ties to their home country. This includes dependent family members staying behind or property ownership.

In my view this potentially allows discrimination based on nationality and geographical factors. In the Schengen visa regime, proof of intention to return home is often linked to the economic status of applicants and their nationality. With an elastic concept such as this, the Schengen visa regime allows immigration officials in the global south to filter visa applicants based on their economic conditions and country of origin. In my research, there is no evidence to suggest that a higher rejection rate leads to a decrease in irregular migration or visa overstays.

The findings highlight visa policies that disproportionately affect Africans seeking to visit Europe. They undermine the European Union’s stated commitment to strengthening partnerships with Africa.

What needs to change?

Europe’s poor efforts in improving legal mobility pathways for Africans have left many, including governments, disillusioned about migration cooperation between Africa and Europe. Despite promises of visa facilitation, family reunification and labour migration, progress remains elusive. The few legal avenues available mostly benefit skilled workers from within the European Union.

The European Union must reform its visa regime and expand legal migration pathways. But ultimately, the primary responsibility lies with African states. They must create an environment in which their citizens can thrive and prosper within the continent. This includes investing in economic development, job creation, education, healthcare and infrastructure.

African governments should ratify the 2018 African Union protocol on free movement of Africans within their continent. Six years after its adoption, only four countries have ratified the protocol: Mali, Niger, Rwanda, and São Tomé & Principe.

In contrast, the agreement establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area, which focuses on the movement of goods, services, and capital, has been in force since 2019, just a year after its adoption.

Reforming the Schengen group’s visa policies towards Africa goes beyond just migration management. It is about getting politics right in Europe. If Europe is serious about partnering with Africa and addressing its demand for labour, the benefits of expanding legal pathways for Africans far outweigh the costs.

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These 3 countries rejected nearly 50% of Schengen Visa requests from India

The  Schengen visa statistics for 2022 are out. Indian travellers filed over 6 lakh visa applications in 2022–the third highest in the world, but also faced a steep rejection rate of 18%.  Estonia ,  Malta and  Slovenia rejected the highest percentage of Schengen visa applications from India last year, while Germany, Italy and Hungary were most accommodating. Here are the details:

How did Schengen visa applications from India perform?

As per data by  Schengen Visa Info ,  a website that reports on the matter,  Estonia rejected the highest share of visas from India in 2022, canning 56% of 1,986 applications.  Malta declined 506 of 1,220 visas at a 45% rejection rate.  Slovenia rejected 44.5% of 2,732 visas. Going by volume, a different set of countries end up rejecting a higher number of visas. In 2022:  Switzerland rejected 13,984 of 1,06,025 visas, though the country’s overall rejection rate was significantly lower than the average at 13%.  France rejected 19.9% or 27,681 of 1,38,643 visas and  Spain declined 14,852 or 18.5% of 80,098 visas.  Austria rejected 5,945 of 24,791 visas at a 24% rejection rate, while  Greece rejected 34.7% or 9,118 of 27,457 and  Portugal turned down 1,593 of 5,326 visas (29.9%).  Sweden got 27,775 applications, and rejected 5,110 or 18.7% of them.

Best countries for Schengen visas for India travellers

It might also help to know that  Germany ( check flights ) had the lowest rejection rate for Indians, having rejected only eight out of 6,345 Schengen visas at the Bengaluru consulate, one application in Kolkata and two in Chennai.  Italy ( check flights ) and  Hungary ( check flights ) were next in line, with rejection rates of 11.5% (794 of 6,909 visas rejected) and 12.1% (1,098 of 9,046 visas rejected) respectively.

Where does India stand in the Schengen visa market?

Consulates around the world recorded 75,72,755 short-term Schengen visa applications last year.  Türkiye has taken the first spot with the most number of requests (7,78,409) and  Russia comes second (6,87,239).  India stood at number three–with Indians making 6,71,928 uniform visa applications to the Schengen region in 2022. Out of these, 1,21,188 were declined at the rejection rate of 18%. This is higher than the average rejection rate across the world, which stands at 17.9%. Only  Algeria fared worse than India in terms of numbers, with 1,79,409 of total Schengen visa applications being rejected.

Is there a trend?

Visa patterns may change over years. The world saw a significantly larger volume of applications in 2022 as compared to the year before that. In 2021, only 29,26,104 applications were filed all over. And yet, the numbers still haven’t matched up to pre-covid years. That’s not the only thing–average visa rejection rates too have gone up in 2022 from 13.4% in 2021. But the bright spots were Sweden, which declined only 18.7% of visa requests from India last year, against 42.26% in 2021, and Switzerland, which also granted a lot more visas to Indians in 2022, with the rejection rate dropping to 13% last year from 21% in 2021. France too issued more Schengen visas to Indian travellers last year than in 2021, with its rejection rate dipping from 30.8% to 19.9%.

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Home > Blog > Statistics > 2020 – France Travel Statistics & Data

2020 – France Travel Statistics & Data

on 14 Mar, 2022

Last updated: March 14, 2022, by Grant Thomas

🔖Cite this webpage (Thomas, Grant. “2020 France Travel Statistics & Data”. visasassociation.com, March 14, 2022, https://visasassociation.com/statistics/2020-france-travel-statistics ) 

Note : The latest France statistics and travel data available about France is for 2020. We will update this page as soon as France’s 2021 travel data and statistics are available.     

Highlights : 2020 France Tourism Statistics & Trends 

• Over the past years, France has been the top destination country with the highest number of Schengen Visa applications received. 
• In 2020, the number of Schengen Visa applications for France dropped by 83% .   
• In 2020, the countries with the highest France Schengen Visa rejection rate were Sudan ( 65.0% ) and Senegal ( 54.6% ).
• In 2020, the countries with the lowest France Schengen Visa rejection rate were Afghanistan ( 0.0% ) and Belarus ( 0.4% ).
• In 2020, France’s Schengen Visa approval rate was 81.5% . 
• In 2020, overnight stays in hotels in Metropolitan France fell by 50.4% . 
• In the summer of 2020, attendance in accommodation establishments reached three quarters compared with the summer 2019 level. 
• In the summer of 2020, attendance at campsites reached 84% compared with the summer 2019 level. 
• The number of international inbound visitors dropped by 51.3% in October 2021 compared to October 2019.
• In 2021, Paris, the capital city of France, was the sixth most visited city in the world. 

Covid’s Impact on Schengen Visa Applications for France & Tourism in France

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in France and other European countries dramatically affected the tourism sector, leading to a sharp drop in the number of arrivals and economic losses of over 60 billion euros.  

In mid-March, the French government adopted a number of restrictive measures to curb the contagion, causing a 66% drop in tourist arrivals in the first seven months of 2020. 

As France is the world’s leading tourist destination with the most popular tourist attractions, the drop off in tourists arrivals had a significant impact on the French economy. 

• In 2020, France received 659,000 Schengen Visa applications, 83% or 3,322,000 fewer than in 2019. 
• France issued 552,000 Schengen Visas in 2020, 83% or 2,739,000 fewer than in 2019. 
• In April and May 2020, hotels recorded a drop in occupancy of more than 90% compared with the same period in 2019.
• In July and August 2020, hotels recorded a drop in occupancy of 30%, thanks to domestic travellers. 
• During the summer season, hotels recorded a drop in occupancy of 58% compared to the 2019 season. 
• Total occupancy in accommodation establishments dropped by 64% in the fourth quarter of 2020 compared with the same period in 2019.
• In 2020, the total number of nights spent by French tourists (residents) in commercial accommodation establishments dropped by 26% compared with 2019. 
• In 2020, the total number of nights spent by residents in non-commercial accommodation establishments dropped by 12% compared with 2019. 
• From May to August 2021, accommodation establishments recorded 197,000,000 overnight stays (19% fewer than the summer 2019 level).
• Hotel occupancy in the second quarter of 2021 was 39% compared with the same period in 2019. 
• In 2020, the total contribution of travel and tourism to GDP was 107.9 billion euros (48% or 102.8 billion euros less than in 2019).
• In 2020, the international tourist expenditure was 28.5 billion euros (53% or 31.9 billion euros less than 2019). 
• In 2020, French tourism represented 4.7% of the national economy, 3.8% less compared with 2019. 
• In April 2020, business overnight stays reached their lowest point, with 800,000 recorded (80% or 3,100,000 fewer than in April 2019). 
• In August 2020, nights spent by residents in commercial accommodation establishments reached roughly the same levels as in August 2019 (over 91 million). 
• In August 2020, nights spent by residents in non-commercial accommodation establishments was higher with 6.4% compared with August 2019. 
• In Metropolitan France, hotel occupancy rates reached their lowest point in April 2020, with 14.6%. 
• In Metropolitan France, hotel occupancy dropped by 50.4% in 2020 over the previous year. 
• In October 2021, France received -51.3% international visitors compared with October 2019. 

International Arrivals in Metropolitan France in October 2021 Compared with October 2019 (%)

Schengen Visa Applications and Tourism in France – 2020 Trends

○ france’s schengen visa approval rate from 2015 to 2020, ○ countries that submitted the highest number of schengen visa applications for france from 2015 to 2020, ○ contribution of travel and tourism to gdp in france from 2015 to 2020, ○ international tourist expenditure in france from 2015 to 2020.

Note : Tourist expenditure includes all expenses for goods and services received in the destination country, except when these are important enough to justify separate classification. 

○ In 2020, France ranked no. 1 for the number of Schengen Visa applications received

○ top 5 countries that submitted the highest number of schengen visa applications for france in 2020, ○ approval rates for the countries that submitted the highest number of schengen visa applications for france in 2020, ○ top 5 third countries that had the highest rejection rates for the schengen visa for france in 2020, sources:  .

European Commission – Statistics on short-stay visas issued by the Schengen States  

European Travel Commission – EUROPEAN TOURISM: TRENDS & PROSPECTS Quarterly report (Q2/2021)  

EUROSTAT – Tourism Statistics  

STATISTA – Travel and Tourism in France

Wikipedia – Tourism in France

INSEE – National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies    

Atout France – Note de conjoncture de l’économie touristique  

Forward Keys – 2021 in Review – The Top 8 Travel Trends  

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Calculation of the Adjusted Visa Refusal Rate for Tourist and Business Travelers Under the Guidelines of the Visa Waiver Program

What is the Visa Waiver Program?

The Visa Waiver Program enables nationals of certain countries to travel without a visa to the U.S., when the intended travel is for "B" visa purposes (tourism or business) for stays of 90 days or less, if the traveler meets certain requirements. For more information, see Visa Waiver Program section . The Visa Waiver Program is administered by the Department of Homeland Security.

What is a Visa Refusal?

Under U.S. immigration law, a visa must be denied if the applicant cannot establish his or her eligibility, either because the application does not meet the requirements of an established visa category, or because there are grounds for ineligibility based on other aspects of the visa case. A visa refusal is the formal denial of a nonimmigrant visa application by a U.S. consular officer acting pursuant to the Immigration and Nationality Act. (More about visa refusals may be found in the Visa Denials section ).

What is a Refusal Overcome?

Some visa refusals can be overcome by the presentation of additional information. "Overcomes" are cases in which an initial decision to deny a visa or suspend processing in a visa case is overcome by the new information or changed circumstances that establishes an applicant's eligibility for the visa (and the visa is then issued).

What is a Waiver of Ineligibility?

Some visa refusals require a waiver of ineligibility which must be approved by the Department of Homeland Security before a visa may be issued.

How is the Visa Waiver Program Adjusted Visa Refusal Rate Calculated?

The Visa Waiver Program nonimmigrant visitor visa refusal rate is based on the worldwide number of applicants for visitor (B) visas who are nationals of that country. B visas are issued for short term business or pleasure travel to the United States. For information about qualifying for a B visa for business or tourism, please see the Visitor Visa page . 

The Department identifies multiple applications from a unique applicant and omits all but the last action from the calculation. Thus, an applicant is counted only once each year and is assigned the status in which he or she ended the year. For example, if an applicant who was refused in April re-applies and is issued in July, he or she will count only as an issuance. Similarly, if an applicant who was refused in April re-applies and is refused again in July, he or she will be counted as only one refusal. Rarely, an applicant may end the year in a third category, “overcome.” This happens when an officer has the information he needs to overcome a refusal but has not processed the case to completion.

The adjusted refusal rate equals: [Refusals minus Overcomes] divided by [Issuances plus Refusals minus Overcomes].

Determination of B Visa Adjusted Refusal Rate for Country X:

Country X, worldwide, had 305,024 B visa applicants end the fiscal year in the “issuance” status;

20,548 end in “refused” status; and 88 end in “overcome” status.

Refusals minus Overcomes = 20,548 - 88 = 20,460

Issuances plus Refusals minus Overcomes = 305,024 + 20,548 - 88 = 325,484

20,460 divided by 325,484 = 6.3 percent (Adjusted Refusal Rate)

The number of visa applicants who receive waivers of ineligibility is not considered when calculating Visa Waiver Program adjusted refusal rates. This is because a visa applicant requiring a waiver of ineligibility must apply for that waiver and receive approval before obtaining a visa with the waiver annotated. Therefore, applicants requiring such a determination would not be eligible to participate in the Visa Waiver Program, because the decision regarding the application for waiver of ineligibility could not be made at a port of entry.

Other Considerations Regarding the Visa Waiver Program Adjusted Refusal Rate

A country's visa refusal rate is just one of the criteria considered when determining a country's eligibility for Visa Waiver Program status. For more information, see "How a Country Qualifies for the Visa Waiver Program," in the Visa Waiver Program section . It is important to note that the Visa Waiver Program is administered by the Department of Homeland Security. Adjusted visa refusal rates for nationals of Visa Waiver Program countries reflect only visa applications submitted at U.S. embassies and consulates abroad. They do not take into account persons who, under the Visa Waiver Program, travel to the U.S. without visas. Visa Waiver Program country refusal rates therefore tend to be higher than they would be if the Visa Waiver Program travelers were included in the calculation, since such travelers would in all likelihood have been issued visas had they applied.

Visa Waiver Program Refusal Rate Data

• FY2023 NIV B Adjusted Refusals by Nationality
• FY2022 NIV B Adjusted Refusals by Nationality
• FY2021 NIV B Adjusted Refusals by Nationality
• FY2020 NIV B Adjusted Refusals by Nationality  
• FY2019 NIV B Adjusted Refusals by Nationality
• FY2018 NIV B Adjusted Refusals by Nationality
• FY2017 NIV B Adjusted Refusals by Nationality
• FY2016 NIV B Adjusted Refusals by Nationality
• FY2015 NIV B Adjusted Refusals by Nationality
• FY2014 NIV B Adjusted Refusals by Nationality
• FY2013 NIV B Adjusted Refusals by Nationality
• FY2012 NIV B Adjusted Refusals by Nationality  
• FY2011 NIV B Adjusted Refusals by Nationality
• FY2010 NIV B Adjusted Refusals by Nationality
• FY2009 NIV B Adjusted Refusals by Nationality
• FY2008 NIV B Adjusted Refusals by Nationality
• FY2007 NIV B Adjusted Refusals by Nationality
• FY2006 NIV B Adjusted Refusals by Nationality

Law & Policy - In This Section

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