Austria Approves 88% of Schengen Visa Requests in 2025, Filing Country Matters

Austria refused 11.9% of the short-stay Schengen visa applications it decided in 2025, against 14.6% across the Schengen Area, according to European Commission visa statistics. The country's consulates received 250,112 applications that year, the 11th highest total of the 28 Schengen countries.

The figures cover every year from 2014 to 2025 and every one of the 55 countries where applications for Austria were lodged. For travellers, the main practical takeaway is that outcomes depend heavily on where the application is submitted.

Key facts

• 250,112 applications received in 2025, down 4.5% on 2024
• 215,259 visas issued, equal to 88.1% of decisions
• 29,079 applications refused, down from 35,817 in 2024
• Rejection rate of 11.9%, versus 14.6% Schengen-wide
• Applications cost an estimated €2.6 million in non-refunded fees on refused cases in 2025

How do the 2025 figures compare?

Austria's 2025 application total was 22.6% below the 2019 level. The record was 323,262 applications in 2019, while the lowest point was 44,616 in 2021. Austria accounted for 2.1% of all Schengen visa applications in 2025 and ranked 11th among the 28 Schengen countries, compared with 12th in 2019.

The country's rejection rate was 2.7% in 2014 and reached its highest point at 15.9% in 2022 before falling to 11.9% in 2025. At that level it was the 4th lowest rate of the 28 Schengen countries.

Does where I apply affect my chances?

Yes. Among the 38 countries of application with at least 500 filings, Austria refused 73.3% of applications lodged in Pakistan and 0.0% of those lodged in Indonesia in 2025 — the highest and lowest rates respectively. The biggest increase since 2019 was in Ethiopia, where the rate rose from 2.8% to 44.6%.

India was the largest country of application for Austria in 2025, accounting for 19.5% of the total, up from 11.3% in 2019. The leading country has shifted over the years: Russia in 2014–2015, China in 2016–2019, Russia in 2020–2021, India in 2022–2023, China in 2024 and India again in 2025.

What happens to fees on refused applications?

Visa fees are not refunded when an application is refused. The statistics estimate that about €2.6 million in fees went on applications Austria refused in 2025, and about €15.0 million since 2014.

What this means for travellers

Travellers planning to apply for an Austrian Schengen visa should note that refusal rates differ widely between the countries where applications are lodged, and that a refusal means the visa fee is lost. Checking the recorded rejection rate for the country of application before filing can give a clearer picture of likely outcomes.

The data was released by the European Commission on 28 May 2026 and the page was last updated on 26 October 2026. The figures cover 2014 to 2025; no later statistics have been published.