Spain 
France 
Italy 
Greece 
Portugal 
Germany 
Netherlands 
Switzerland 
What happens when a Schengen visa is refused?
A refused Schengen visa comes back with your passport (without a visa sticker) and a standard refusal form that ticks one or more grounds and tells you how to appeal. The form is the same across all 29 Schengen countries, because it is set by the EU Visa Code, but the appeal route is decided by the national law of the country that refused you.
A refusal is not a ban. EU rules set no waiting period before you apply again, and a refusal on evidence grounds can usually be answered with a better-prepared file. What matters is reading the ticked ground carefully, because it tells you exactly what the consulate was not satisfied with.
Two practical points first:
- Money: the €90 visa fee and the visa centre’s service charge are not refunded.
- Records: the decision is stored in the Visa Information System (VIS), which every Schengen consulate can see. Do not hide it on a later application.
What do the refusal grounds mean for UK residents?
Each ticked box points to a specific gap in your file, and for UK residents the most common gaps are unclear purpose, thin funds evidence and doubts about UK residence status. Below are the grounds on the standard EU form (Annex VI of the Visa Code), in plain English, with the typical causes for people applying from the UK.
| Ground on the form | What the consulate is saying | Common UK causes |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose and conditions of the stay not justified | Your file did not show why you are going and how the trip will work | Vague cover letter, no itinerary, missing invitation letter for a family or business visit |
| Information about purpose not reliable | Something did not add up or could not be verified | Cancelled hotel bookings, itinerary that contradicts flights, employer letter that cannot be verified |
| No proof of sufficient means of subsistence | Your funds did not look enough, stable or genuinely yours | Low balance, large unexplained deposits, statements not in your name, missing sponsor evidence |
| Intention to leave before the visa expires could not be ascertained | Not satisfied you will return to the UK on time | UK leave ending soon, recent arrival in the UK, weak job or study evidence, unclear eVisa status |
| No adequate and valid travel medical insurance | Insurance missing, too low or not covering all of Schengen | Cover below €30,000, dates not matching the trip, policy excluding repatriation |
| Already stayed 90 days in the current 180-day period | The trip would break the 90/180-day rule | Recent long trips, especially now EES records every entry and exit |
| Alert in the Schengen Information System (SIS) | A member state has flagged you to be refused entry | Previous overstay, removal, or in rare cases mistaken identity |
| Threat to public policy, security, health or international relations | One or more states objected during consultation | Usually no detail given; often linked to past immigration history |
| False or forged travel document | The passport or a document was judged not genuine | Rare; sometimes a damaged or altered passport |
Several grounds can be ticked on one form. The purpose and intention-to-leave grounds are the most fixable, because they turn on evidence and consistency rather than on your history: a stronger, consistent file can answer them directly.
Important: If the letter cites a SIS alert or a threat to public security, do not simply reapply. The form names the member state that entered the alert. Ask that country for access to your SIS data (usually through its police or data protection authority) and consider specialist legal advice, because the same alert will block every new application to any Schengen country.
Appeal or reapply: which is right for you?
For most UK residents with a trip planned in the next few months, reapplying with a corrected file is quicker and cheaper than appealing. An appeal makes sense when the consulate made a clear mistake on the evidence you actually submitted, or when you want the refusal formally overturned.
| Situation | Better option | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You missed a document or your evidence was thin | Reapply | An appeal reviews the original file; new evidence is better placed in a fresh application |
| Your trip is within the next two months | Reapply | Appeals often take longer than the trip can wait |
| The consulate overlooked a document you did submit | Appeal | The decision is wrong on its own facts |
| The refusal cites the wrong reason or a factual error | Appeal | You can point to the error in writing |
| Refusal based on a SIS alert you believe is wrong | Appeal and request access to your data | A new application would hit the same alert |
| You want to visit your EU family member under free movement rules | Seek advice; appeal is often worth it | Family members of EU citizens have stronger rights and a stricter test for refusal |
You can do both in some countries: lodge an appeal to protect your position and reapply with better evidence at the same time. If you do, tell the consulate in your new cover letter.
How do appeals work in France, Germany, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands?
Each country runs its own appeal route, with deadlines from 8 days to 3 months, and your refusal letter states the exact route and deadline. Every refusal form must explain how to appeal under that country’s law, including the deadline and where to send it. Treat your letter as the final word: deadlines usually run from the date you are notified, and missing them normally ends the appeal. The table gives the general position for the countries UK residents apply to most.
| Country | First step | Deadline (general) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | Compulsory prior appeal, in French and signed, by post to the sous-directeur des visas at the Ministry of the Interior in Nantes; then the Administrative Court of Nantes | 30 days from notification | If the ministry stays silent for 2 months the appeal counts as rejected, and you then have 2 months to go to court. You cannot go to court without this first step |
| Germany | Complaint at the Administrative Court of Berlin | As stated on the refusal decision | The free remonstration route was abolished on 1 July 2025; court proceedings are in German and carry costs. A new application can be made at any time |
| Spain | Request for reconsideration (recurso de reposición), in writing and in Spanish, to the consulate that refused you; or an appeal to the Superior Court of Justice of Madrid | One month for reconsideration; two months for court | The consulate has one month to answer and silence counts as dismissal. Check which consulate (London, Manchester or Edinburgh) decided your case: it depends on where you live. London’s visa department does not accept appeals by email |
| Italy | Appeal to the Regional Administrative Court of Lazio (TAR Lazio); family-reason visas go to the ordinary court | 60 days from notification | Requires a lawyer qualified in Italy |
| Netherlands | Written objection (bezwaar) to the IND | 4 weeks from the decision date | Free. By letter or secure email in Dutch, English, German or French; a Dutch sponsor can object online for family and friends visits. The IND has 6 weeks to decide (extendable by 6), but says objections currently take around 6 months |
| Portugal | Complaint to the decision-maker, or hierarchical appeal to the Foreign Affairs minister, both lodged at the consulate; or the Administrative Court of Lisbon | 15 days for the complaint; 3 months for the hierarchical or court appeal | €75 administrative charge per appeal |
| Belgium | Council for Alien Law Litigation, Brussels, via the J-BOX app or registered post | Generally 30 days from notification | Legality review and annulment only; the embassy says you can reapply immediately |
| Switzerland | Written objection with grounds to the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), in German, French or Italian | 30 days from receipt | CHF 200 advance on costs (£186 on the embassy price list), payable within 30 days |
Deadlines elsewhere are often shorter than people expect: 8 days in Hungary and Slovenia, 10 days in Estonia, 14 days in Poland (reconsideration in person at the Embassy, £79) and Lithuania, 15 days in Croatia, the Czech Republic, Malta and Slovakia, 3 weeks in Sweden and Norway, four weeks in Austria (in German, after a pre-refusal letter with 7 days to reply), 30 days in Finland, Iceland and Latvia, 8 weeks in Denmark and 3 months for Luxembourg’s administrative appeal. Several countries charge for an appeal, for example €80 in the Czech Republic, €120 in Malta and Slovakia, €153 in Slovenia, €160 in Estonia, €255 in Finland, €300 in Iceland and £141 in Hungary. Greece, Bulgaria and Romania publish no separate guidance, so follow the route and deadline printed on the refusal form. Each country page has a refusals section with the local route, for example the Spain visa refusals and appeals section covers the reconsideration request in more detail, and the Greece and Hungary pages explain their own procedures.
Note: An appeal does not create a right to travel while it is pending. If it succeeds, the consulate usually reconsiders the application or issues the visa, but dates may have passed, so keep bookings flexible.
How do you fix each refusal reason before reapplying?
The new application should answer the ticked ground directly, with documents rather than promises. Change what was weak, keep what was strong, and make sure every document tells the same story.
Purpose and conditions of the stay
- Write a clear cover letter giving dates, cities, accommodation and who is paying, and mention the previous refusal and what has changed.
- Add a day-by-day itinerary that matches your flights and accommodation exactly.
- For family or friend visits, include a signed invitation letter, a copy of the host’s ID or residence permit, and any country-specific hosting document, such as France’s attestation d’accueil (see the France visa document checklist). Our family visit visa guide covers this in more depth.
- For business, include the inviting company’s letter and your employer’s letter explaining the trip. See the Schengen business visa guide.
Information not reliable
- Use genuine, verifiable flight and hotel bookings (free-cancellation hotels are fine) and keep them in place until you have a decision. Consulates can and do check.
- Make sure names, dates and addresses match across the form, letters, bookings and insurance.
- Use an employer letter on headed paper with a named contact, phone number and email who will answer if called.
Sufficient means
- Provide three to six months of personal bank statements, stamped or downloaded directly from your bank. See our bank statements guide.
- Explain any large or unusual deposits with evidence (a payslip, a sale contract, a gift letter).
- If someone else is paying, include their letter, their statements and proof of your relationship.
Intention to leave
- Prove your UK status with your eVisa and a share code that is valid on the day of your appointment. Share codes last 90 days. Our eVisa share code guide explains how.
- Check your UK permission runs well beyond your return. Most consulates want it valid at least one month after you leave the Schengen area, and some want more: Italy’s London consulate requires residence documents valid at least three months beyond the last day of the trip, Finland and Iceland also say three months, and Poland asks for at least one month after the visa expires. If your leave is close to expiry, reapply once your permission has been renewed. Our guide to UK visa validity for a Schengen visa sets out the country rules, and the Italy and Poland checklists give the detail.
- Show ties: employment contract and recent payslips, approved leave, enrolment letter for students, tenancy or mortgage, family in the UK.
- Keep the trip proportionate. A three-week trip on a newly started job with modest savings invites doubt; a shorter first trip often does not.
Insurance
- Buy a policy with at least €30,000 medical cover, valid in all Schengen states, covering emergency treatment, hospital and repatriation, for every day of the trip. See our travel insurance guide.
The 90/180-day rule
- Count your recent days using our 90/180-day rule guide and shorten or move the trip so it fits. EES now records every crossing, so a miscount is easy to spot.
Wrong country
If your main destination was not the country you applied to, the application can be refused or treated as inadmissible. Apply to the country where you will spend the most nights, or, if equal, according to the purpose or first point of entry. Our guide to which country to apply to walks through the rule with examples.
How do you reapply after a Schengen refusal?
Reapplying is a full new application: a new form, a new appointment, and the fee again. Your fingerprints may be reused if they were taken within the last 59 months, but you still attend in person for most countries.
- Read the refusal form and list every ticked ground.
- Gather the evidence that fixes each one, using the sections above.
- Update the cover letter to mention the refusal and what has changed.
- Book a new appointment on the official system, in your own name. Booking is free with every provider; optional extras such as a premium lounge are sold by the centre. For Germany (since 1 June 2026, London and Manchester) and France (since 1 August 2026 in London and Manchester and 11 September 2026 in Edinburgh), TLScontact allocates slots from a queue rather than letting you choose, so register early (see Germany visa appointments and France visa appointments). Our appointment guide covers every provider, with city guides for London, Manchester and Edinburgh.
- Submit at least 15 calendar days before travel, and earlier if you can: decisions take 15 calendar days and can be extended to 45.
Tip: Keep a copy of your first application. Comparing old and new files side by side is the quickest way to make sure every weak point has been addressed and that nothing contradicts what you said before.
We do not book, hold or supply visa appointments. We help you understand the official booking system and complete your booking correctly in your own name.
Can someone help you reapply after a refusal?
Yes, with the paperwork. Our refusal review checks your refusal letter and original documents, identifies the likely concerns and helps you prepare a stronger file. We cannot guarantee a decision, and the consulate decides every case. See what the refusal review includes.