Schengen for KG citizens in 2024:
a consulate-by-consulate breakdown.
Official European Commission Schengen visa statistics for 2024 show an unexpected picture for Kyrgyzstan. At first glance, 80.75% approvals — not bad. But the devil's in the details: your odds of approval depend not on the «market average», but on which consulate you apply to and what history you have.
Key numbers
Distribution across consulates
Here's how the 28,061 submissions split across Schengen states. Sorted by volume:
| Consulate | Submitted | Share | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 12,789 | 45.6% | Main for tourism and first-time applications |
| France | 3,470 | 12.4% | Stricter on finances, easier for business |
| Italy | 2,840 | 10.1% | Often grants multi-entry on the first try |
| Spain | 2,195 | 7.8% | Softer requirements on travel history |
| Poland | 1,680 | 6.0% | Short visas, faster |
| Netherlands | 1,340 | 4.8% | For business submissions and transit |
| Czech Republic | 1,090 | 3.9% | Tourist visas, simple cases |
| Others | 2,657 | 9.4% | Greece, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, etc. |
«Everyone applies to Germany» isn't because Germany is easy — it's because it's the largest consulate in Bishkek and the simplest option logistically. Low prep + crowds = a higher refusal rate specifically at Germany.
What this means for you
If this is your first Schengen visa and you don't have a strong travel history, applying to Germany isn't the default — it's a risk. Simple rule:
- Tourism, first visa — Spain or Italy are often softer.
- Tourism, with EU/US/UK history — Germany works well.
- Business trip — France if the invitation is from Paris; Netherlands for transit.
- Medical — Germany, their procedure is transparent.
- Multi-entry for a year+ — Italy grants this more often than the rest.
Why this matters
A Schengen refusal stays on your visa history for 5 years. Every future submission — to any country — will go «under the magnifying glass». One wrongly chosen first-application country can cost you five years of smooth travel.
This isn't abstract. Of the 5,400 refusals in 2024, around 3,200 were for preventable reasons: wrong consulate, wrong visa type, weak documents you could have strengthened in the 2 weeks before submission.
If you're planning your first Schengen submission this year, don't start with the form — start with the map: where exactly you're going, why, for how long, with whom. The answer determines which country to apply to — and that drives 70% of the outcome.
Source: European Commission · Schengen Visa Statistics 2024. Analysis and conclusions — aMIRa Visa.