Schengen refusals, all countries
Schengen visas in United States: refusals consulate by consulate
4.9% of applications refused in 2025 — 9,194 of 187,033.
2024: 4.0% of 201,602 applications (+0.9 pts). 104 Schengen consulates active in 2025.
What the national rate hides
- Fewest refusals
- 0.0%
- Spain — San Francisco, Ca · 1,556 applications
- Most refusals
- 20.5%
- Sweden — Washington, Dc · 5,325 applications
- Biggest drop since 2024
- −13.9 pts
- Norway — New York, Ny · 3,846 applications
- Highest share of multiple-entry visas
- 100.0%
- Italy — Detroit, Mi · 1,208 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 — Washington, Dc, with 54,021 applications.
Every consulate, fewest to most refusals
| Consulate | Applications 2025 | Refused 2025 | 2024 | Change | Multiple entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain — San Francisco, Ca | 1,556 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 pts | 14.6% |
| Spain — Los Angeles, Ca | 2,271 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 pts | 3.9% |
| Netherlands — Miami, Fl | 2,015 | 0.2% | 1.1% | −0.9 pts | 98.5% |
| Netherlands — San Francisco, Ca | 4,912 | 0.4% | 1.2% | −0.8 pts | 98.4% |
| Greece — Washington, Dc | 1,347 | 0.4% | 2.5% | −2.1 pts | 50.8% |
| Netherlands — Washington, Dc | 1,443 | 0.5% | 1.5% | −1.0 pts | 97.6% |
| Greece — New York, Ny | 1,531 | 0.5% | 0.1% | +0.5 pts | 68.2% |
| Italy — Boston, Ma | 1,833 | 0.5% | 0.6% | −0.1 pts | 30.3% |
| Switzerland — Atlanta, Ga | 1,655 | 0.6% | 0.4% | +0.2 pts | 99.8% |
| Italy — Philadelphia, Pa | 1,536 | 0.7% | 0.2% | +0.5 pts | 99.9% |
| Netherlands — New York, Ny | 3,497 | 0.8% | 1.4% | −0.6 pts | 96.5% |
| Switzerland — Washington, Dc | 1,070 | 0.8% | 0.6% | +0.3 pts | 99.8% |
| Germany — San Francisco, Ca | 4,870 | 0.9% | 1.1% | −0.2 pts | 99.9% |
| Netherlands — Chicago, Il | 1,256 | 1.0% | — | — | 98.2% |
| Italy — San Francisco, Ca | 1,198 | 1.0% | 0.7% | +0.3 pts | 99.9% |
| Spain — Houston, Tx | 2,457 | 1.1% | 0.2% | +0.9 pts | 12.8% |
| Italy — Miami, Fl | 1,019 | 1.3% | 2.5% | −1.3 pts | 32.9% |
| Italy — Detroit, Mi | 1,208 | 1.3% | 0.5% | +0.8 pts | 100.0% |
| Spain — Washington, Dc | 2,341 | 1.4% | 0.6% | +0.7 pts | 21.3% |
| Spain — Miami, Fl | 6,214 | 1.4% | 0.7% | +0.8 pts | 21.6% |
| Spain — Chicago, Il | 2,295 | 1.5% | 0.0% | +1.4 pts | 7.5% |
| Switzerland — New York, Ny | 3,426 | 1.7% | 1.7% | 0.0 pts | 99.6% |
| Germany — New York, Ny | 4,992 | 1.9% | 1.6% | +0.3 pts | 99.8% |
| Germany — Los Angeles, Ca | 2,625 | 2.2% | 3.8% | −1.7 pts | 99.1% |
| Germany — Chicago, Il | 2,727 | 2.2% | 4.3% | −2.1 pts | 97.9% |
| Austria — New York, Ny | 1,656 | 2.3% | 2.5% | −0.2 pts | 97.3% |
| Italy — New York, Ny | 3,484 | 2.4% | 1.0% | +1.4 pts | 66.7% |
| Italy — Chicago, Il | 1,062 | 2.4% | 0.5% | +1.9 pts | 27.9% |
| Norway — New York, Ny | 3,846 | 3.3% | 17.1% | −13.9 pts | 35.1% |
| France — Washington, Dc | 54,021 | 4.2% | 3.1% | +1.1 pts | 25.0% |
| Germany — Boston, Ma | 2,098 | 4.9% | 1.9% | +2.9 pts | 71.9% |
| Finland — New York, Ny | 1,103 | 5.2% | — | — | 23.6% |
| Austria — Los Angeles, Ca | 1,179 | 5.4% | 9.6% | −4.2 pts | 53.0% |
| Germany — Washington, Dc | 1,372 | 5.8% | 3.1% | +2.7 pts | 98.7% |
| Portugal — Boston, Ma | 1,093 | 6.6% | 0.2% | +6.4 pts | 86.2% |
| Germany — Houston, Tx | 1,984 | 8.2% | 5.8% | +2.4 pts | 79.9% |
| Germany — Atlanta, Ga | 1,535 | 8.7% | 3.5% | +5.2 pts | 98.8% |
| Iceland — Washington, Dc | 7,688 | 9.2% | 5.6% | +3.6 pts | 93.6% |
| Switzerland — San Francisco, Ca | 3,438 | 9.7% | 6.4% | +3.3 pts | 99.9% |
| Belgium — New York, Ny | 1,232 | 13.0% | 4.1% | +8.9 pts | 23.4% |
| Denmark — New York, Ny | 4,758 | 14.9% | 9.7% | +5.1 pts | 30.9% |
| Spain — New York, Ny | 6,919 | 19.1% | 14.7% | +4.5 pts | 2.0% |
| Sweden — Washington, Dc | 5,325 | 20.5% | 18.1% | +2.4 pts | 19.8% |
Under 1,000 applications — rates not significant
| Consulate | Applications 2025 | Refused 2025 | 2024 | Change | Multiple entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portugal — San Francisco, Ca | 970 | 4.8% | 0.1% | +4.8 pts | 59.7% |
| Spain — Boston, Ma | 951 | 4.9% | 0.1% | +4.8 pts | 0.1% |
| Portugal — Washington, Dc | 931 | 4.2% | 1.2% | +3.0 pts | 57.7% |
| Germany — Miami, Fl | 919 | 15.7% | 16.6% | −0.9 pts | 87.9% |
| Italy — Houston, Tx | 897 | 2.2% | 2.5% | −0.2 pts | 62.9% |
| Portugal — Newark, Nj | 868 | 4.4% | 0.1% | +4.2 pts | 59.5% |
| Portugal — New York, Ny | 758 | 1.7% | 1.3% | +0.4 pts | 60.3% |
| Italy — Washington, Dc | 753 | 0.4% | 0.2% | +0.2 pts | 57.3% |
| Austria — Washington, Dc | 750 | 5.7% | 6.4% | −0.7 pts | 61.3% |
| Lithuania — Chicago, Il | 744 | 7.0% | 7.0% | 0.0 pts | 17.6% |
| Greece — Chicago, Il | 706 | 0.4% | 1.1% | −0.7 pts | 48.5% |
| Greece — Houston, Tx | 642 | 0.0% | 0.1% | −0.1 pts | 98.9% |
| Greece — San Francisco, Ca | 627 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 pts | 46.1% |
| Belgium — Atlanta, Ga | 602 | 2.4% | 0.6% | +1.8 pts | 15.6% |
| Belgium — Washington, Dc | 575 | 12.8% | 7.3% | +5.6 pts | 19.0% |
| Belgium — Los Angeles, Ca | 568 | 1.3% | 1.3% | 0.0 pts | 21.7% |
| Italy — Los Angeles, Ca | 566 | 1.6% | 0.3% | +1.3 pts | 37.0% |
| Greece — Boston, Ma | 556 | 0.0% | 0.2% | −0.2 pts | 98.4% |
| Poland — New York, Ny | 526 | 1.7% | 1.8% | −0.1 pts | 43.9% |
| Finland — Los Angeles, Ca | 446 | 24.1% | — | — | 19.0% |
| Croatia — New York, Ny | 434 | 1.9% | 1.3% | +0.6 pts | 63.0% |
| Greece — Los Angeles, Ca | 405 | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.0 pts | 62.7% |
| Slovenia — Washington, Dc | 395 | 19.2% | 21.5% | −2.3 pts | 56.2% |
| Poland — Los Angeles, Ca | 375 | 9.0% | 0.3% | +8.7 pts | 32.0% |
| Czech Republic — New York, Ny | 337 | 4.2% | 1.9% | +2.3 pts | 17.6% |
| Greece — Tampa, Fl | 335 | 0.6% | 0.3% | +0.3 pts | 69.2% |
| Czech Republic — Washington, Dc | 315 | 0.3% | 0.0% | +0.3 pts | 36.9% |
| Portugal — New Bedford, Ma | 305 | 6.9% | 0.3% | +6.6 pts | 14.1% |
| Czech Republic — Los Angeles, Ca | 300 | 1.3% | 0.4% | +0.9 pts | 8.1% |
| Croatia — Los Angeles, Ca | 279 | 4.9% | 1.0% | +4.0 pts | 77.3% |
| Bulgaria — Washington, Dc | 267 | 0.8% | 0.3% | +0.4 pts | 74.1% |
| Poland — Houston, Tx | 255 | 1.6% | 1.2% | +0.3 pts | 64.9% |
| Poland — Washington, Dc | 248 | 0.8% | 3.1% | −2.2 pts | 41.6% |
| Hungary — Washington, Dc | 243 | 2.5% | 5.8% | −3.3 pts | 65.0% |
| Hungary — Los Angeles, Ca | 235 | 0.9% | 1.5% | −0.6 pts | 25.8% |
| Hungary — New York, Ny | 229 | 1.8% | 1.0% | +0.7 pts | 31.7% |
| Spain — San Juan, Pr | 207 | 0.0% | — | — | 13.7% |
| Poland — Chicago, Il | 203 | 14.4% | 8.5% | +5.8 pts | 12.7% |
| Estonia — Washington, Dc | 195 | 42.1% | 57.8% | −15.8 pts | 16.8% |
| Greece — Atlanta, Ga | 181 | 2.2% | 2.6% | −0.3 pts | 44.7% |
| Hungary — Chicago, Il | 156 | 1.9% | 0.5% | +1.5 pts | 29.6% |
| Luxembourg — New York, Ny | 153 | 6.5% | 11.6% | −5.0 pts | 63.6% |
| Czech Republic — Chicago, Il | 150 | 5.3% | 2.3% | +3.0 pts | 23.9% |
| Bulgaria — Los Angeles, Ca | 125 | 0.8% | 0.5% | +0.4 pts | 39.3% |
| Croatia — Chicago, Il | 124 | 0.8% | 0.0% | +0.8 pts | 97.6% |
| Latvia — Washington, Dc | 120 | 16.0% | 24.1% | −8.2 pts | 38.4% |
| Croatia — Washington, Dc | 107 | 1.0% | 0.9% | +0.1 pts | 67.6% |
| Bulgaria — New York, Ny | 99 | 1.1% | 5.9% | −4.8 pts | 32.6% |
| Romania — Los Angeles, Ca | 99 | 18.2% | 2.0% | +16.2 pts | 12.3% |
| Slovakia — Washington, Dc | 99 | 4.0% | 2.2% | +1.8 pts | 16.8% |
| Romania — New York, Ny | 87 | 4.6% | 1.3% | +3.3 pts | 39.8% |
| Luxembourg — San Francisco, Ca | 80 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 pts | 46.8% |
| Malta — Washington, Dc | 72 | 18.3% | 0.0% | +18.3 pts | 8.6% |
| Luxembourg — Washington, Dc | 71 | 4.3% | 1.1% | +3.2 pts | 77.3% |
| Romania — Miami, Fl | 64 | 16.4% | 8.9% | +7.4 pts | 2.2% |
| Romania — Washington, Dc | 60 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 pts | 58.3% |
| Bulgaria — Chicago, Il | 45 | 0.0% | 2.5% | −2.5 pts | 65.9% |
| Malta — New York, Ny | 42 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 pts | 52.4% |
| Romania — Chicago, Il | 37 | 8.1% | 3.6% | +4.5 pts | 50.0% |
| Slovenia — Cleveland, Oh | 31 | 14.3% | 4.8% | +9.5 pts | 50.0% |
| Slovakia — New York, Ny | 27 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0 pts | 30.8% |
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 US 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).