Schengen visas in Zambia: refusals consulate by consulate
11.2% of applications refused in 2025 — 292 of 2,621.
2024: 10.8% of 2,750 applications (+0.4 pts). 3 Schengen consulates active in 2025.
What the national rate hides
- Fewest refusals
- 7.7%
- Germany — Lusaka · 1,272 applications
- Most refusals
- 11.8%
- Italy — Lusaka · 1,124 applications
- Biggest drop since 2024
- −2.9 pts
- Germany — Lusaka · 1,272 applications
- Highest share of multiple-entry visas
- 81.7%
- Germany — Lusaka · 1,272 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 Germany — Lusaka, with 1,272 applications.
Every consulate, fewest to most refusals
| Consulate | Applications 2025 | Refused 2025 | 2024 | Change | Multiple entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany — Lusaka | 1,272 | 7.7% | 10.7% | −2.9 pts | 81.7% |
| Italy — Lusaka | 1,124 | 11.8% | 7.2% | +4.7 pts | 10.0% |
Under 1,000 applications — rates not significant
| Consulate | Applications 2025 | Refused 2025 | 2024 | Change | Multiple entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Czech Republic — Lusaka | 225 | 27.1% | 25.0% | +2.1 pts | 16.5% |
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).