Why Does Schengen Visa Gets Rejected? 7 Common Reasons

What causes a consulate or embassy to refuse to issue you a Schengen visa? Every time they are preparing to apply for a visa of this kind, many people ask themselves this issue. Every time a visa application—whether for a Schengen or another type of visa—is denied, there is, in reality, an unsatisfactory factor involved.

Many people who apply for visas become perplexed and unable to precisely understand the reason for their visa denial. Because of this, the paper will concentrate on outlining the usual justifications for such refusal.

If the consular officer is unable to obtain from the applicant all the necessary information about him or her, the visa application may be deemed unsuccessful. Without this information, the consular officer will be unable to determine if the applicant is eligible to be granted a visa.

On the other side, the applicant may occasionally provide the consular with information that is undesirable or goes beyond the established protocols. The candidate may occasionally engage in illegal or dishonest behavior. In each of the aforementioned situations, the officer is persuaded to REFUSE to grant the petitioner a visa.

Let’s take a more detailed look at the most common reasons for Schengen Visa application rejection.

Criminal Behavior, Current or Previous

The applicant’s conduct and historical circumstances have a significant role in the consular officer’s decision to grant a Schengen visa. In such circumstances, the applicant’s application may be rejected if it is determined that they pose a threat to the public wealth, internal security, or public policy of the Schengen Area (i.e. terrorism, drug abuse, child abuse, addiction, other serious crimes).

Misleading Travel Document

All individuals (applicants) who seek to provide false travel documents to the embassy or consulate, trying to falsify their identity, using a fake identity, have the same fate: an absolute denial of their visa application and other negative outcomes that follow.

Insufficient Justification of the Reason and Situation for the Intended Stay

Lack of the required documentation to support your intended journey and stay is another reason the consular office may reject your application for a Schengen visa. These are the instances of:

Failing to provide employment and professional qualifications that are compatible with the financial condition being portrayed
inability to produce proof of travel and/or stay in the Schengen Area through required documentation
Not applying for a visa term in accordance with the stated trip plan, vacation right, or financial circumstances
The incapacity to make promises concerning the purpose of the trip and stay that remain constant

Damaged Passport

Having a passport that has not been kept in excellent shape could result in a visa being denied. Such situations include missing or detaching passport pages, a damaged passport cover, and more.

Passport Expired

The consular official may reject your visa application for a different reason, such as if you provide a passport that is unacceptable to the Embassy or Consulate. These cases fall under the following categories:

Presenting a passport with less than three (3) months of validity remaining following the return from a trip to the Schengen Area
Presenting a passport without two blank visa pages in different places
Presenting a valid passport instead of a travel document booklet
Presenting a passport that is still valid but more than ten (10) years old

Lack of Proof for the Travel Schedule

Failure to provide a valid itinerary for your travels within the Schengen Area is another factor in the rejection of a Schengen Visa application. These instances include:

Applying at the incorrect Schengen Area Embassy (not being able to determine the main destination of your visit in the Schengen Area)
Being unable to demonstrate that you have a reservation for housing for each destination and each night you intend to spend in the Schengen Area
Not being able to offer each candidate a booked airplane ticket (when a group of travelers)
Not being able to provide travel tickets for all of the Schengen Area’s planned stops.

Reference Letter Not Valid

Providing a formal letter of reference that is not signed by the author is another factor supporting a rejected Schengen Visa application. Such situations entail:

Lack of a professional letter with a letterhead containing the address and phone number of the business or author issuing it
Not having a formal letter issued no later than three (3) months from the application date in hand
The formal letter is missing the author’s seal and signature Other

Insufficient Means of Support

Lack of or insufficient proof of financial stability for the duration of your stay in the Schengen Area and for your return to your home country is one of the reasons the embassy or consulate of a Schengen country may decline to issue you a visa. These situations can include:

Failure to provide financial statements that are no more than a month old as of the application date
Not having access to a statement of current accounts (presenting credit card statements in its place)
Lacking sufficient funds in the reported financial statements
Presenting a traveler’s check without the candidate’s name on it

What you SHOULD Do

The applicant’s prior history with the Schengen Visa also poses a threat to their application which is why agents at Gulf Migrates will guide you throughout the process. First, you will get the chance to discuss your case and the agent will guide you accordingly in detail on how to avoid your Schengen visa from being rejected.