Nigeria has recorded the highest rate of Schengen visa rejections in four years, following the European Union’s implementation of stricter visa policies and heightened scrutiny.
Data from SchengenVisaInfo.eu, a Europe-based platform specializing in Schengen visa-related information, reveals that Nigerian visa rejections surged by 9.97% in 2023, with 42,940 applications denied compared to 39,189 in 2022. The financial impact of these rejections has also increased, with the cost of denied visas escalating to €3.44 million in 2023 from €3.14 million the previous year.
Schengen.News attributes this rise to the more rigorous visa policies and checks adopted by Schengen countries in response to concerns over migration and security.
In 2023, African nationals collectively spent €56.3 million on visa application fees, representing 43% of the global expenditure on such fees. Rejection rates were notably high for applicants from African and Asian countries, who together accounted for 90% of these costs.
Marta Foresti, Founder of LAGO Collective, commented on the situation, stating, “Visa inequality has very tangible consequences, and the world’s poorest pay the price. The costs of rejected visas act as ‘reverse remittances,’ where money flows from poor to rich countries. These costs are often overlooked in discussions about aid or migration; it is time to change that.”
The Schengen visa, the most common visa for Europe, permits travel within the Schengen Area for up to 90 days. This area comprises 27 countries that have signed the Schengen Agreement, allowing for passport-free travel across their borders. These countries include Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
As Nigerian visa rejections continue to climb, there is growing concern over the financial burden on applicants and the broader implications for international mobility and equality.
