Schengen is a free-border area comprised of the 26 European countries
Germany and France are the top destinations for Kenyans traveling to European Union countries on a Schengen visa according to a 2018 report.
The German Embassy in Nairobi received a total of 6,142 Schengen visa applications, out of which 5,136 were approved whereas the French Embassy received a total of 5,059 visa applications, of which 4,647 were successful.
The total number of Kenyans who were issued with Schengen visas to travel to Europe increased by 14 percent in 2018 up from 28,943 in the previous year, according to the report by Schengenvisainfo.com.
A total of 32,996 residents of Kenya had been granted a Schengen uniform visa during 2018.
There was also noted a slight increase in the rate of Multiple Entry Visas. Of the total Schengen visa grants in Kenya during 2018, 11,360 of them were MEV visas or 34.4%. In contrast, during 2018 the number of MEV visa grants was 8,505, thus 29.3% of the total Schengen visa grants issued during that year.
The Dutch embassy displaced the Italian embassy in the fourth position in the list of Schengen embassies which received most visa applications. During 2018, a number of 4,406 Kenya’s residents applied for a Schengen uniform visa at the Dutch embassy. As a result, 4,045 of them had been granted a visa and the remainder of 280 applicants were rejected.
Number of visa applications in five most popular Schengen embassies
| Schengen Embassy | Uniform Visas Applied For | Uniform Visas Issued | Share of MEV | Not Issued Visas |
| Germany | 6,142 | 5,136 | 28.4% | 990 |
| France | 5,059 | 4,647 | 24.6% | 310 |
| Netherlands | 4,406 | 4,045 | 96.9% | 280 |
| Italy | 4,218 | 3,753 | 47.2% | 428 |
| Spain | 3,927 | 3,493 | 3.5% | 370 |
Schengen is a free-border area comprised of the 26 European countries Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Switzerland.
