Schengen visas in South Korea: refusals consulate by consulate
11.5% of applications refused in 2025 — 583 of 5,161.
2024: 11.0% of 4,362 applications (+0.5 pts). 20 Schengen consulates active in 2025.
Every consulate, fewest to most refusals
| Consulate | Applications 2025 | Refused 2025 | 2024 | Change | Multiple entry |
|---|
Under 1,000 applications — rates not significant
| Consulate | Applications 2025 | Refused 2025 | 2024 | Change | Multiple entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain — Seoul | 825 | 3.6% | 12.3% | −8.7 pts | 7.0% |
| Italy — Seoul | 785 | 9.7% | 3.1% | +6.6 pts | 8.3% |
| Germany — Seoul | 701 | 9.2% | 9.6% | −0.5 pts | 13.0% |
| France — Seoul | 681 | 12.1% | 12.8% | −0.7 pts | 15.9% |
| Netherlands — Seoul | 385 | 18.7% | 9.5% | +9.2 pts | 21.9% |
| Belgium — Seoul | 322 | 36.1% | 9.6% | +26.5 pts | 11.6% |
| Czech Republic — Seoul | 307 | 1.0% | 15.5% | −14.5 pts | 78.3% |
| Switzerland — Seoul | 286 | 7.3% | 15.8% | −8.4 pts | 12.9% |
| Austria — Seoul | 263 | 26.4% | 19.2% | +7.2 pts | 22.5% |
| Portugal — Seoul | 136 | 8.8% | 3.0% | +5.8 pts | 11.3% |
| Hungary — Seoul | 115 | 15.9% | 18.3% | −2.3 pts | 16.8% |
| Poland — Seoul | 104 | 9.3% | 9.2% | +0.2 pts | 9.6% |
| Greece — Seoul | 78 | 9.0% | 2.9% | +6.0 pts | 4.2% |
| Finland — Seoul | 50 | 4.1% | 24.7% | −20.6 pts | 2.2% |
| Croatia — Seoul | 37 | 8.6% | 20.0% | −11.4 pts | 17.9% |
| Bulgaria — Seoul | 22 | 9.5% | 2.5% | +7.0 pts | 36.8% |
| Lithuania — Seoul | 21 | 10.0% | 60.0% | −50.0 pts | 55.6% |
| Slovenia — Seoul | 17 | 18.8% | 8.3% | +10.4 pts | 36.4% |
| Romania — Seoul | 14 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 pts | 21.4% |
| Slovakia — Seoul | 12 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 pts | 0.0% |
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).