Schengen Visa-Related Problems Are Harming Bilateral Ties Between Türkiye and Germany, Ambassador Says

The Turkish ambassador to Germany, Ahmet Ba?ar ?en, has said the problems that Turkish nationals keep on facing when applying for a German Schengen visa are harming bilateral ties between the two countries.

According to ?en, the situation has not improved, and nationals of Türkiye keep on encountering the same issues as before when applying for a Schengen visa, referring to the visa processing delays, AtoZSerwisPlus.de reports.

Taking into account all events, Ambassador ?en, said for Anadolu Agency that his country is deeply saddened that such problems continue occurring and, at the same time, pointed out that the visa requirement that applies to nationals of Türkiye is unfair.

Anadolu Agency explains that ?en said that Turkish nationals should be permitted to travel to the European Union without having to obtain a visa and stressed that the freedom of travel is blocked due to political reasons.

“Türkiye holds a much better station than many countries that reserve the right to visa-free travel but this freedom of travel is blocked due to political reasons,” the statement of ?en reads.

Moreover, ?en highlighted that they expect less stringent and fairer visa practices for businesspeople and students, as well as a reduction in visa fees.

?en also required that Germany starts issuing multi-entry visas for Turkish national as well as hire additional staff at its embassies and consulates so that applicants do not have to wait a long period for their applications to be processed.

“I hope with more staff, fewer papers and longer-term entry opportunities that will soon take effect, this problem is mitigated,” ?en emphasised.

This is not the first time that the Turkish authorities have required Germany to resolve Schengen visa-related problems. In November 2022, the President of the Turkish-German Sister Cities Union, Özcan Mutlu, sent a letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany, Annalena Baerbock, urging that Germany takes measures as soon as possible to improve the situation.

Nationals of Türkiye have been facing Schengen visa-related problems when planning to reach Germany as well as the other EU Member States for some time now.

The rejection rates for applications submitted by Turkish nationals especially increased after the Coronavirus travel restrictions got lifted. Figures provided by the Schengen Visa Statistics show that the rejection rate reached the highest level in 2021.

In 2021, nationals of Türkiye filed about 971,710 Schengen visa applications, and of the total number 6.4 per cent of them were rejected, representing an increase of ten per cent compared to 2017.