Schengen visas in Nigeria: refusals consulate by consulate
47.9% of applications refused in 2025 — 53,196 of 113,359.
2024: 45.9% of 111,201 applications (+2.0 pts). 21 Schengen consulates active in 2025.
What the national rate hides
- Fewest refusals
- 20.8%
- Germany — Abuja · 2,052 applications
- Most refusals
- 66.1%
- Bulgaria — Abuja · 2,453 applications
- Biggest drop since 2024
- −7.7 pts
- Germany — Lagos · 5,660 applications
- Highest share of multiple-entry visas
- 49.8%
- Belgium — Abuja · 7,461 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 — Lagos, with 40,515 applications.
Every consulate, fewest to most refusals
| Consulate | Applications 2025 | Refused 2025 | 2024 | Change | Multiple entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany — Abuja | 2,052 | 20.8% | 24.2% | −3.4 pts | 45.0% |
| Switzerland — Abuja | 2,597 | 27.2% | 20.6% | +6.6 pts | 19.2% |
| Germany — Lagos | 5,660 | 32.3% | 39.9% | −7.7 pts | 30.0% |
| Austria — Abuja | 1,735 | 39.1% | 41.0% | −1.9 pts | 16.3% |
| France — Abuja | 18,068 | 43.6% | 39.9% | +3.7 pts | 18.8% |
| Italy — Lagos | 12,698 | 44.9% | 39.8% | +5.0 pts | 49.1% |
| France — Lagos | 40,515 | 50.7% | 45.9% | +4.9 pts | 27.9% |
| Finland — Abuja | 1,630 | 55.0% | 55.3% | −0.2 pts | 11.6% |
| Portugal — Abuja | 3,026 | 56.3% | 60.2% | −3.9 pts | 47.9% |
| Spain — Lagos | 8,706 | 58.1% | 63.5% | −5.4 pts | 9.1% |
| Denmark — Abuja | 2,434 | 59.2% | 63.8% | −4.7 pts | 12.9% |
| Belgium — Abuja | 7,461 | 60.9% | 63.6% | −2.7 pts | 49.8% |
| Bulgaria — Abuja | 2,453 | 66.1% | 50.3% | +15.8 pts | 7.3% |
Under 1,000 applications — rates not significant
| Consulate | Applications 2025 | Refused 2025 | 2024 | Change | Multiple entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Italy — Abuja | 865 | 6.0% | 9.6% | −3.6 pts | 73.5% |
| Spain — Abuja | 783 | 23.5% | 0.0% | +23.5 pts | 17.4% |
| Poland — Abuja | 669 | 46.1% | — | — | 11.9% |
| Hungary — Abuja | 628 | 52.8% | 59.3% | −6.5 pts | 18.9% |
| Czech Republic — Abuja | 610 | 41.0% | 46.9% | −5.9 pts | 24.6% |
| Greece — Abuja | 462 | 36.5% | 62.6% | −26.1 pts | 38.4% |
| Romania — Abuja | 303 | 40.4% | 39.1% | +1.3 pts | 32.2% |
| Sweden — Abuja | 4 | 0.0% | — | — | 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.
Where to go visa-free with a Nigerian 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).