16 percent of Turkish nationals’ visa requests were denied by Schengen states in 2023, totaling 169,500 denied visas.

With the ongoing Visa Liberalization Dialogue between the EU and Turkey, which has been going on since 2013, this data is especially startling. The percentage of Turkish visa applications that are denied has been rising gradually in spite of this conversation.

Turkish nationals’ visa rejection rates increased by 15% on average between 2019 and 2023, according to Schengen Statistics. Turkey became a major source of people applying for Schengen visas in 2022.

Turkish nationals’ ability to travel without a visa: still awaiting progress

Turkish citizens are still waiting for movement on visa liberalization, despite increased interest in Schengen visas and efforts to meet EU requirements.

According to the November 2023 Progress Report, Turkey is still not close to fulfilling the requirements for granting visas. Document security, public safety and order, migration control, readmission of undocumented immigrants, and fundamental rights are important benchmarks.

Despite the rising demand for Schengen permits, the EU is unable to endorse visa liberalization for Turkey since it does not meet the requirements established in the EU-Turkey Statement of 2016. Turkey submitted 16.4% more visa applications in 2023 than it did in 2019.

Turkish Citizens Frequently Faced With Visa Issues

For Turkish citizens, the application process for a Schengen visa is all too familiar—it may be protracted and difficult. With more than a million visa requests filed in 2023, Turkish applicants ranked as the second largest category. Significant discomfort and unhappiness are being brought on by high rejection rates.

Social internet is where many Turkish applicants vent their resentment. In an eight-part post on X, a user recently shared his story, explaining the difficulties he faced in getting an appointment and persuading consular officials to obtain a visa.

This is not just a personal visa issue for each applicant. Due to the denial of entry visas to Belgium for two Turkish staff members, the Serbian women’s national volleyball team almost lost out on the CEV EuroVolley 2023 competition in 2023. The refusal was justified by Belgian authorities, who said they were worried the Turkish coaches might not go back to Turkey.