Schengen visas in Iraq: refusals consulate by consulate
34.3% of applications refused in 2025 — 23,692 of 70,312.
2024: 34.0% of 65,944 applications (+0.3 pts). 18 Schengen consulates active in 2025.
What the national rate hides
- Fewest refusals
- 10.9%
- Greece — Baghdad · 1,420 applications
- Most refusals
- 84.2%
- Hungary — Erbil · 1,373 applications
- Biggest drop since 2024
- −6.0 pts
- France — Baghdad · 10,362 applications
- Highest share of multiple-entry visas
- 85.4%
- Hungary — Erbil · 1,373 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 Italy — Baghdad, with 12,290 applications.
Every consulate, fewest to most refusals
| Consulate | Applications 2025 | Refused 2025 | 2024 | Change | Multiple entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greece — Baghdad | 1,420 | 10.9% | 17.4% | −6.5 pts | 30.4% |
| Italy — Erbil | 4,606 | 16.3% | 20.3% | −4.0 pts | 34.2% |
| Netherlands — Baghdad | 1,196 | 20.8% | 19.2% | +1.6 pts | 23.0% |
| Spain — Baghdad | 4,381 | 25.5% | — | — | 26.9% |
| Italy — Baghdad | 12,290 | 28.3% | 31.1% | −2.8 pts | 33.9% |
| France — Baghdad | 10,362 | 30.4% | 36.3% | −6.0 pts | 17.9% |
| Germany — Baghdad | 6,965 | 33.4% | 32.5% | +1.0 pts | 66.2% |
| Germany — Erbil | 6,814 | 40.3% | 31.5% | +8.7 pts | 77.2% |
| Netherlands — Erbil | 1,981 | 42.4% | 33.4% | +9.0 pts | 20.2% |
| France — Erbil | 10,013 | 44.9% | 46.6% | −1.7 pts | 28.6% |
| Poland — Erbil | 1,078 | 45.2% | 35.1% | +10.1 pts | 9.4% |
| Greece — Erbil | 5,279 | 48.0% | 49.6% | −1.6 pts | 22.5% |
| Hungary — Erbil | 1,373 | 84.2% | 62.6% | +21.7 pts | 85.4% |
Under 1,000 applications — rates not significant
| Consulate | Applications 2025 | Refused 2025 | 2024 | Change | Multiple entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Czech Republic — Erbil | 871 | 41.6% | 35.3% | +6.3 pts | 12.5% |
| Romania — Baghdad | 787 | 34.7% | 26.9% | +7.8 pts | 43.0% |
| Czech Republic — Baghdad | 456 | 0.0% | 0.3% | −0.3 pts | 38.3% |
| Croatia — Baghdad | 405 | 28.6% | 35.9% | −7.4 pts | 49.0% |
| Romania — Erbil | 35 | 20.6% | 30.6% | −10.0 pts | 8.7% |
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.
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).