Schengen visas in South Africa: refusals consulate by consulate
5.3% of applications refused in 2025 — 10,203 of 195,946.
2024: 5.7% of 193,768 applications (−0.4 pts). 30 Schengen consulates active in 2025.
What the national rate hides
- Fewest refusals
- 0.5%
- Greece — Le Cap · 5,209 applications
- Most refusals
- 21.9%
- Croatia — Pretoria · 6,124 applications
- Biggest drop since 2024
- −12.9 pts
- Poland — Pretoria · 1,313 applications
- Highest share of multiple-entry visas
- 100.0%
- Italy — Johannesburg · 20,725 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 — Johannesburg, with 32,785 applications.
Every consulate, fewest to most refusals
| Consulate | Applications 2025 | Refused 2025 | 2024 | Change | Multiple entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greece — Le Cap | 5,209 | 0.5% | 2.0% | −1.5 pts | 99.4% |
| Spain — Le Cap | 11,002 | 2.3% | 2.4% | −0.1 pts | 11.3% |
| Italy — Le Cap | 11,891 | 2.3% | 2.0% | +0.3 pts | 99.9% |
| Spain — Pretoria | 10,448 | 2.4% | 5.9% | −3.5 pts | 15.7% |
| Czech Republic — Pretoria | 2,673 | 2.7% | 4.6% | −1.9 pts | 25.4% |
| Greece — Johannesburg | 7,521 | 2.7% | 3.5% | −0.8 pts | 95.4% |
| Netherlands — Pretoria | 21,549 | 3.0% | 3.0% | 0.0 pts | 96.7% |
| Italy — Johannesburg | 20,725 | 3.3% | 4.1% | −0.9 pts | 100.0% |
| Germany — Pretoria | 14,458 | 3.3% | 6.3% | −3.0 pts | 99.8% |
| Belgium — Le Cap | 1,732 | 3.5% | 4.4% | −0.9 pts | 98.5% |
| Austria — Pretoria | 5,699 | 3.7% | 5.7% | −2.1 pts | 99.9% |
| Germany — Le Cap | 10,259 | 3.7% | 3.6% | 0.0 pts | 99.7% |
| Portugal — Le Cap | 3,715 | 3.8% | 1.1% | +2.7 pts | 98.7% |
| Hungary — Pretoria | 1,918 | 4.8% | 5.2% | −0.4 pts | 29.9% |
| Finland — Pretoria | 1,845 | 5.3% | 6.4% | −1.1 pts | 72.9% |
| Norway — Pretoria | 3,829 | 5.7% | 8.4% | −2.7 pts | 63.2% |
| Belgium — Pretoria | 3,050 | 7.7% | 7.2% | +0.5 pts | 93.3% |
| Poland — Pretoria | 1,313 | 7.9% | 20.8% | −12.9 pts | 37.5% |
| France — Johannesburg | 32,785 | 8.5% | 11.0% | −2.6 pts | 34.5% |
| Portugal — Johannesburg | 7,072 | 9.0% | 6.0% | +3.1 pts | 90.9% |
| Switzerland — Pretoria | 8,223 | 11.0% | 8.0% | +3.1 pts | 54.4% |
| Croatia — Pretoria | 6,124 | 21.9% | 15.9% | +6.0 pts | 92.6% |
Under 1,000 applications — rates not significant
| Consulate | Applications 2025 | Refused 2025 | 2024 | Change | Multiple entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Italy — Pretoria | 916 | 5.7% | 9.5% | −3.8 pts | 100.0% |
| Romania — Pretoria | 742 | 5.3% | 3.9% | +1.4 pts | 55.5% |
| Bulgaria — Pretoria | 713 | 17.2% | 10.7% | +6.5 pts | 11.6% |
| Lithuania — Pretoria | 235 | 3.9% | 19.1% | −15.2 pts | 82.1% |
| France — Le Cap | 120 | — | 4.1% | — | — |
| Slovakia — Pretoria | 102 | 1.0% | 0.5% | +0.4 pts | 34.7% |
| Netherlands — Le Cap | 73 | 1.5% | 1.5% | 0.0 pts | 100.0% |
| Sweden — Pretoria | 5 | 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 South African 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).