Where is the hardest Schengen visa for residents of the UAE?

While many residents of the UAE are currently busy planning their summer holidays in Europe, new statistics from the European Union show that choosing the wrong country to apply for a visa can ruin the entire trip before it even begins.

According to new data from the European Commission, some Schengen consulates in the UAE are significantly stricter than others, and in some cases, they have rejected more than half of the applications.

At the top of this list is Bulgaria, which has rejected 58.2% of Schengen visa applications from the UAE. This means that out of approximately 4,500 applications, more than 2,400 people were unsuccessful in obtaining a visa.

Following that, Luxembourg has a rejection rate of 48.5% and Estonia at 46.4%; statistics that show obtaining a visa for these countries has now become one of the toughest paths for residents of the UAE.

However, the issue is not limited to small European countries. Some popular summer destinations have also become “rejection traps.” Malta has rejected nearly 46% of applications, and Croatia has denied visas to over 42% of applicants.

Sweden, which has always been one of the popular travel destinations in the summer, has rejected over 40% of the applications registered in the UAE.

In this context, Hungary, despite registering over 10,000 applications, has rejected more than 35% of applicants, and Poland has also had a high rejection rate.

Denmark and Slovakia complete the list of the 10 strictest Schengen countries. Denmark alone has received over 17,000 applications from the UAE but has rejected nearly one-third of them.

In contrast, the report recommends that travelers who want to have a better chance of obtaining a visa should plan their trips around countries like Spain, France, or Germany; countries that have higher visa acceptance rates for applicants from the UAE.

Source: Gulf News

Bulgaria — 58.2% rejection

Luxembourg — 48.5% rejection

Estonia — 46.4% rejection

Malta — 45.9% rejection

Croatia — 42.6% rejection

Sweden — 40.7% rejection

Hungary — 35.2% rejection

Poland — 32.5% rejection

Denmark — 31.8% rejection

Slovakia — 31.5% rejection