Schengen visas in Rwanda: refusals consulate by consulate
37.3% of applications refused in 2025 — 3,049 of 8,323.
2024: 32.5% of 14,293 applications (+4.7 pts). 4 Schengen consulates active in 2025.
What the national rate hides
- Fewest refusals
- 37.9%
- France — Kigali · 5,977 applications
- Most refusals
- 40.2%
- Belgium — Kigali · 1,967 applications
- Highest share of multiple-entry visas
- 49.0%
- Belgium — Kigali · 1,967 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 — Kigali, with 5,977 applications.
Every consulate, fewest to most refusals
| Consulate | Applications 2025 | Refused 2025 | 2024 | Change | Multiple entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| France — Kigali | 5,977 | 37.9% | 37.0% | +0.9 pts | 22.6% |
| Belgium — Kigali | 1,967 | 40.2% | 30.9% | +9.3 pts | 49.0% |
Under 1,000 applications — rates not significant
| Consulate | Applications 2025 | Refused 2025 | 2024 | Change | Multiple entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany — Kigali | 357 | 11.3% | 11.9% | −0.6 pts | 72.4% |
| Netherlands — Kigali | 22 | 4.2% | 0.0% | +4.2 pts | 61.9% |
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).