Schengen visas in New Zealand: refusals consulate by consulate
4.6% of applications refused in 2025 — 125 of 2,714.
2024: 3.6% of 2,565 applications (+0.9 pts). 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| France — Wellington | 909 | 0.5% | 0.3% | +0.2 pts | 4.8% |
| Netherlands — Wellington | 647 | 9.0% | 9.4% | −0.5 pts | 34.9% |
| Germany — Wellington | 497 | 9.3% | 5.2% | +4.1 pts | 100.0% |
| Switzerland — Wellington | 267 | 0.4% | 2.1% | −1.7 pts | 86.1% |
| Spain — Wellington | 208 | 2.3% | 1.5% | +0.8 pts | 3.4% |
| Italy — Wellington | 126 | 4.8% | 0.8% | +4.0 pts | 30.8% |
| Poland — Wellington | 60 | 8.5% | 1.6% | +6.9 pts | 3.7% |
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.
Where to go visa-free with a New Zealand 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).