Applying for a Schengen visa from the UAE
Guides for UAE residents: how the application works, what to bring to the visa application centre, and how to get an appointment when the calendar is empty. There is a guide for each of the 15 Schengen countries that receive the most applications in the UAE, including the ones we do not track, and each shows the live status of the routes we do.
- GuideHow to apply for a Schengen visa from the UAEA step-by-step guide for UAE residents: which country to apply to, the documents you need, the €90 fee, when to apply, and how to get a VFS Global appointment in Dubai or Abu Dhabi.Read the guide
- GuideHow to book a VFS Global appointment in the UAEHow the VFS Global booking portal works for Schengen visas in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, what the waitlist means, and the ways to find a date when the calendar is empty.Read the guide
- How to apply for a Germany visa from the UAEApplying for a German short-stay Schengen visa as a UAE resident: the application form, the VFS Global appointment in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, documents, fees and how to find a date.Read the guide
- How to apply for a Netherlands visa from the UAEApplying for a Dutch short-stay Schengen visa as a UAE resident: the application form, the VFS Global appointment in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, documents, fees and how to find a date.Read the guide
- How to apply for a Spain visa from the UAEApplying for a Spanish short-stay Schengen visa as a UAE resident: where to apply, the application form, the documents, the fees and how to get an appointment.Read the guide
- How to apply for a France visa from the UAEApplying for a French short-stay Schengen visa as a UAE resident: the France-Visas form, the VFS Global appointment in Abu Dhabi or Dubai, documents, fees and how to find a date.Read the guide
- How to apply for an Italy visa from the UAEApplying for an Italian short-stay Schengen visa as a UAE resident: where to apply, the application form, the documents, the fees and how to get an appointment.Read the guide
- How to apply for a Switzerland visa from the UAEApplying for a Swiss short-stay Schengen visa as a UAE resident: the online form, the VFS Global appointment in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, documents, fees and how to find a date.Read the guide
- How to apply for a Denmark visa from the UAEApplying for a Danish short-stay Schengen visa as a UAE resident: where to apply, the application form, the documents, the fees and how to get an appointment.Read the guide
- How to apply for a Norway visa from the UAEApplying for a Norwegian short-stay Schengen visa as a UAE resident: where to apply, the application form, the documents, the fees and how to get an appointment.Read the guide
- How to apply for a Greece visa from the UAEApplying for a Greek short-stay Schengen visa as a UAE resident: where to apply, the application form, the documents, the fees and how to get an appointment.Read the guide
- How to apply for a Hungary visa from the UAEApplying for a Hungarian short-stay Schengen visa as a UAE resident: where to apply, the application form, the documents, the fees and how to get an appointment.Read the guide
- How to apply for a Czech visa from the UAEApplying for a Czech short-stay Schengen visa as a UAE resident: where to apply, the application form, the documents, the fees and how to get an appointment.Read the guide
- How to apply for a Belgium visa from the UAEApplying for a Belgian short-stay Schengen visa as a UAE resident: where to apply, the application form, the documents, the fees and how to get an appointment.Read the guide
- How to apply for an Austria visa from the UAEApplying for an Austrian short-stay Schengen visa as a UAE resident: where to apply, the application form, the documents, the fees and how to get an appointment.Read the guide
- How to apply for a Malta visa from the UAEApplying for a Maltese short-stay Schengen visa as a UAE resident: where to apply, the application form, the documents, the fees and how to get an appointment.Read the guide
- How to apply for a Sweden visa from the UAEApplying for a Swedish short-stay Schengen visa as a UAE resident: where to apply, the application form, the documents, the fees and how to get an appointment.Read the guide
EU statistics, 2025
Which Schengen countries UAE residents apply to
In 2025, the consulates of the Schengen countries in the UAE received 298,064 short-stay visa applications and refused 24.2% of those they decided, according to the European Commission. The guides above cover the 15 countries with the most applications; the table lists all of them.
| # | Country | Applications | Refused |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | 40,555 | 22.0% |
| 2 | Netherlands | 31,634 | 30.5% |
| 3 | Spain | 30,265 | 14.1% |
| 4 | France | 28,160 | 16.7% |
| 5 | Italy | 27,398 | 19.1% |
| 6 | Switzerland | 25,603 | 21.3% |
| 7 | Denmark | 17,288 | 31.8% |
| 8 | Norway | 16,232 | 30.5% |
| 9 | Greece | 13,587 | 15.6% |
| 10 | Hungary | 10,424 | 35.2% |
| 11 | Czech Republic | 8,961 | 24.0% |
| 12 | Belgium | 7,460 | 19.8% |
| 13 | Austria | 7,406 | 16.4% |
| 14 | Malta | 7,079 | 45.9% |
| 15 | Sweden | 6,312 | 40.7% |
| 16 | Bulgaria | 4,494 | 58.2% |
| 17 | Poland | 3,123 | 32.5% |
| 18 | Portugal | 2,582 | 20.3% |
| 19 | Croatia | 2,092 | 42.6% |
| 20 | Finland | 1,603 | 18.0% |
| 21 | Slovakia | 1,110 | 31.5% |
| 22 | Romania | 1,095 | 14.5% |
| 23 | Slovenia | 1,049 | 27.0% |
| 24 | Luxembourg | 1,037 | 48.5% |
| 25 | Latvia | 762 | 10.9% |
| 26 | Estonia | 468 | 46.4% |
| 27 | Lithuania | 285 | 21.9% |
| All Schengen countries | 298,064 | 24.2% |
Applications are counted where they are lodged, not by nationality, so in the UAE they come mostly from residents of other nationalities. Iceland has no consulate in the UAE and Liechtenstein issues no visas of its own, so neither has a row. Source: European Commission, visa statistics for consulates.