Germany Scraps Informal Visa Rejection Appeals Process
Visa stamp in passport close-up.
Germany has gotten rid of an informal procedure for people to appeal visa rejections. The system, which the government claimed is too costly to staff, is to be replaced with a more official procedure that is likely to take considerably longer and be more expensive. The move looks likely to affect many Indian citizens in particular, who face a relatively high rate of rejection for Schengen visas, and comes as non-EU nationals face considerable hassle in the visa process.
Up until 2025, the so-called 'remonstration' process allowed people to appeal a Schengen visa rejection fairly easily and for free, with the state obliged to then explain the reason for the rejection. The system, which was run semi-informally, usually took a relatively short amount of time. From July 2025, the German government has announced, this remonstration system will be scrapped and rejectees will be obliged to go through a more formal, and far more costly, legal process.
The government has justified scrapping the remonstration process by arguing that the system is too labor intensive and causes delays in processing other categories of visas, particularly work visas, which the German government has prioritized. Whatever the reason, the effect is likely to mean more people from poorer non-EU regions rejected with little to no possibility of redress.
The news has been extensively covered in India. Hundreds of thousands of Indian citizens are issued Schengen visas via Germany per year, with a reasonably high approval rate relative to other countries. The overall rejection rate for Indians across Schengen visas is quite high, however, with estimates being around 15% of people being rejected on the first application, and millions of dollars lost on visa fees.
Schengen visas, which allow a non-EU citizen to enter the Schengen visa-free zone of free movement, are the main pathway for people around the world to travel in Europe. For citizens of many parts of the world, including China, India, Turkey and elsewhere, the process of applying can be very expensive and time consuming. It is common for people to wait months, even years, before being allowed to travel to Europe, while people from other and more wealthier regions (Australia, the US, the U.K.) typically enjoy visa-free entry into the Schengen zone.
Visas have often been at the heart of relations between Germany and India, as they are between many countries, representing as they do exchange and welcome. The previous German government of Olaf Scholz made a point of increasing the number of skilled worker visas it would offer to Indian citizens, with the announcement made while Chancellor Scholz was in New Delhi visiting Indian PM Modi. Skilled worker visas, different to the Schengen visas mentioned above which are typically for tourists, are important both to India, as well as to Germany which faces historic labor shortages and has implemented various measures in recent years to boost foreign recruitment.
The visa remonstration process is to be scrapped by the beginning of July 2025. The legal process that will take over is expected to cost thousands and could see people waiting years, rather than months, for a response.
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