Schengen visas in DR Congo: refusals consulate by consulate
40.1% of applications refused in 2025 — 20,508 of 52,048.
2024: 29.9% of 60,922 applications (+10.2 pts). 9 Schengen consulates active in 2025.
What the national rate hides
- Fewest refusals
- 16.3%
- Belgium — Lubumbashi · 5,743 applications
- Most refusals
- 72.9%
- Switzerland — Kinshasa · 2,630 applications
- Biggest drop since 2024
- −10.4 pts
- Greece — Kinshasa · 5,290 applications
- Highest share of multiple-entry visas
- 92.2%
- Belgium — Lubumbashi · 5,743 applications
Ranking based on consulates with at least 1,000 applications: below that, a handful of files moves the rate. The largest consulate by volume is Belgium — Kinshasa, with 33,869 applications.
Every consulate, fewest to most refusals
| Consulate | Applications 2025 | Refused 2025 | 2024 | Change | Multiple entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium — Lubumbashi | 5,743 | 16.3% | 11.8% | +4.5 pts | 92.2% |
| Belgium — Kinshasa | 33,869 | 38.0% | 23.6% | +14.4 pts | 79.0% |
| Greece — Kinshasa | 5,290 | 49.5% | 59.9% | −10.4 pts | 16.4% |
| Spain — Kinshasa | 4,125 | 62.2% | 56.8% | +5.4 pts | 11.0% |
| Switzerland — Kinshasa | 2,630 | 72.9% | 63.0% | +9.8 pts | 34.4% |
Under 1,000 applications — rates not significant
| Consulate | Applications 2025 | Refused 2025 | 2024 | Change | Multiple entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany — Kinshasa | 305 | 6.1% | 15.7% | −9.6 pts | 72.5% |
| France — Kinshasa | 80 | 5.8% | 2.9% | +3.0 pts | 5.9% |
| Netherlands — Kinshasa | 5 | 0.0% | 25.0% | −25.0 pts | 60.0% |
| Italy — Kinshasa | 1 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 0.0 pts | — |
Before choosing a consulate
You do not pick your consulate. The Visa Code (Article 5) designates the one of your main destination — or of the first country of entry if no destination dominates. Applying "where refusals are lower" for a trip elsewhere is itself a ground for refusal.
A low rate is not leniency: it also reflects who applies. A consulate that mostly receives seasoned business travellers refuses less than one receiving first-time applicants. The rate shows where files fail most often — a reason to prepare yours carefully, not to change address.
Where to go visa-free with a Congolese (DRC) passport
Source: Commission européenne — Visa statistics for consulates, 2025 and 2024 editions, published 2026-05-28. Uniform short-stay visas; the rate is the Commission's: refusals / (issued + limited territorial validity visas + refusals).