Schengen visas in Kenya: refusals consulate by consulate
33.1% of applications refused in 2025 — 25,227 of 77,760.
2024: 29.1% of 66,329 applications (+3.9 pts). 18 Schengen consulates active in 2025.
What the national rate hides
- Fewest refusals
- 16.9%
- Spain — Nairobi · 5,220 applications
- Most refusals
- 60.9%
- Norway — Nairobi · 9,565 applications
- Biggest drop since 2024
- −22.1 pts
- Finland — Nairobi · 1,023 applications
- Highest share of multiple-entry visas
- 96.6%
- Germany — Nairobi · 10,286 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 Sweden — Nairobi, with 15,699 applications.
Every consulate, fewest to most refusals
| Consulate | Applications 2025 | Refused 2025 | 2024 | Change | Multiple entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain — Nairobi | 5,220 | 16.9% | 22.3% | −5.4 pts | 7.6% |
| Switzerland — Nairobi | 4,245 | 18.7% | 15.3% | +3.4 pts | 50.2% |
| Netherlands — Nairobi | 5,289 | 19.4% | 25.6% | −6.2 pts | 28.5% |
| Italy — Nairobi | 6,418 | 19.9% | 19.0% | +0.9 pts | 40.0% |
| Greece — Nairobi | 2,379 | 23.5% | 13.9% | +9.6 pts | 48.3% |
| France — Nairobi | 4,336 | 26.2% | 23.1% | +3.1 pts | 18.5% |
| Germany — Nairobi | 10,286 | 29.0% | 29.1% | −0.1 pts | 96.6% |
| Austria — Nairobi | 2,143 | 31.1% | 38.9% | −7.8 pts | 45.9% |
| Finland — Nairobi | 1,023 | 31.9% | 54.0% | −22.1 pts | 6.2% |
| Denmark — Nairobi | 4,565 | 34.2% | 52.8% | −18.6 pts | 11.3% |
| Sweden — Nairobi | 15,699 | 40.0% | 33.1% | +6.9 pts | 20.4% |
| Belgium — Nairobi | 3,509 | 41.7% | 44.2% | −2.5 pts | 23.8% |
| Norway — Nairobi | 9,565 | 60.9% | 35.6% | +25.3 pts | 21.8% |
Under 1,000 applications — rates not significant
| Consulate | Applications 2025 | Refused 2025 | 2024 | Change | Multiple entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hungary — Nairobi | 897 | 40.2% | 29.7% | +10.5 pts | 11.3% |
| Romania — Nairobi | 789 | 35.2% | 18.6% | +16.6 pts | 8.4% |
| Poland — Nairobi | 657 | 24.0% | 18.5% | +5.5 pts | 4.3% |
| Czech Republic — Nairobi | 621 | 16.7% | 20.0% | −3.3 pts | 7.7% |
| Slovakia — Nairobi | 119 | 16.4% | 14.3% | +2.1 pts | 25.8% |
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 Kenyan 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).