Chinese and South Africans Express Strong Interest in Visiting Croatia During Its First Year of Schengen Membership
Key Takeaways
1. In its first year of receiving Schengen visa applications, Croatia processed 38,500 requests.
2. The majority of visa applications came from Chinese and South African nationals.
3. Croatia's visa rejection rate was higher than the EU average.
Since joining the Schengen Area in 2023, Croatia received 38,511 visa applications, accounting for 0.37% of the total 10.3 million applications submitted to Schengen states.
According to Schengen Visa Statistics, the highest number of visa requests to Croatia came from Chinese, South African, and Qatari nationals.
Despite a relatively low volume of applications, Croatia's rejection rate stood out, surpassing the EU average of 15.81%. Croatia rejected 19.63% of visa applications in 2023.
Top 5 Schengen Visa Applicants to Croatia
Nearly half (47%) of the visa requests in 2023 came from the following countries:
- China: 4,447 applications
- South Africa: 4,141 applications
- Qatar: 3,274 applications
- Kosovo: 3,165 applications
- Indonesia: 3,099 applications
Approval rates varied significantly: 91.8% of Chinese applications were approved, compared to 88.7% from South Africa. Conversely, only 45.08% of Qatari applications were approved, despite being among the top applicants.
Kosovo and Indonesia had approval rates of 86.1% and 90.1%, respectively.
Highest Rejection Rates
- Algeria: 73.1% rejection rate (955 applications, 698 rejected)
- Morocco: 60.6% rejection rate (522 rejected out of 825 applications)
- Egypt, Qatar, and Iran also had high rejection rates, with 47%, 46.2%, and 45.2%, respectively.
Highest Approval Rates
Among countries with more than 1,000 applications, the UK had the highest approval rate at 94.4% (1,548 applications). Russia followed with a 92.2% approval rate, and China had a 91.8% approval rate.
Even though citizens of countries like the UK and the US do not require a visa for the Schengen Area, residents of these countries from non-visa-exempt nations, such as Qatar, must apply for a visa.