Schengen visas in Sri Lanka: refusals consulate by consulate
29.1% of applications refused in 2025 — 7,431 of 25,663.
2024: 35.4% of 25,721 applications (−6.3 pts). 5 Schengen consulates active in 2025.
What the national rate hides
- Fewest refusals
- 13.6%
- Germany — Colombo · 4,454 applications
- Most refusals
- 38.5%
- Italy — Colombo · 5,061 applications
- Biggest drop since 2024
- −19.3 pts
- Germany — Colombo · 4,454 applications
- Highest share of multiple-entry visas
- 99.8%
- Germany — Colombo · 4,454 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 France — Colombo, with 9,219 applications.
Every consulate, fewest to most refusals
| Consulate | Applications 2025 | Refused 2025 | 2024 | Change | Multiple entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany — Colombo | 4,454 | 13.6% | 32.8% | −19.3 pts | 99.8% |
| France — Colombo | 9,219 | 30.2% | 35.7% | −5.5 pts | 20.7% |
| Switzerland — Colombo | 6,908 | 30.8% | 34.1% | −3.2 pts | 26.6% |
| Italy — Colombo | 5,061 | 38.5% | 39.8% | −1.3 pts | 72.3% |
Under 1,000 applications — rates not significant
| Consulate | Applications 2025 | Refused 2025 | 2024 | Change | Multiple entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands — Colombo | 21 | 0.0% | 11.1% | −11.1 pts | 52.9% |
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).