German embassy counters Turks’ visa challenges

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The German embassy in Ankara on June 6 announced that around 100,000 Schengen visas were issued in Türkiye in 2023, countering the recent difficulties faced by Turkish citizens when applying for visas.

Germany currently does not issue more visas to any country in the world than Türkiye, the statement released on the embassy's Twitter account emphasized.

The German mission expressed pride in the accomplishment of their foreign representatives in Ankara, Istanbul and İzmir, noting that they had issued approximately 100,000 Schengen visas in the January-May period in 2023.

This figure represents a significant increase of 50 percent compared to the same period in 2022 and indicates a return to pre-pandemic levels, the statement added.

It also highlighted the ongoing efforts of the 112 employees in the visa departments, attributing the success in visa issuance to their devoted work. In addition, more than 18,000 national visas were also granted by Germany to Turkish citizens in 2023.

The announcement comes at a time when Turkish citizens are facing challenges and delays in obtaining Schengen visas.

Visa company IDATA's data reveals that the rejection rate for Turkish applications is five times higher than that of Russia. Ankara has expressed its discontent with this disparity and previously summoned ambassadors to the Foreign Ministry, but no solution has been reached yet.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan last week labeled the visa obstacle as "political blackmail" and pledged a swift resolution to the issue.