In 2023, Greece has become one of the toughest Schengen countries for visa approvals, especially for applicants from Pakistan. Data from SchengenVisaInfo shows that Greece, the sixth most popular Schengen destination, experienced a spike in visa applications but also had a high rejection rate, particularly impacting Pakistani applicants.
More than 627,000 people applied for a Greek visa this year, making up over 6% of all Schengen visa applications. Turkish citizens were the largest applicant group, followed by Russians and Chinese. However, applicants from Pakistan faced the highest rejection rate at 65.54%, with more than half of the 560 applications from Pakistani nationals denied by Greek authorities.
Other nationalities also encountered high rejection rates. Algerian applicants faced a 59.54% rejection rate, while Tunisia and Senegal had rates above 56%. Iraqi nationals similarly struggled, with nearly half of their applications declined.