KUWAIT CITY, Sept 21: In 2023, a total of 12,069 Schengen visa applications from Kuwaiti citizens were rejected, despite a total of 166,598 visas being granted, resulting in an impressive acceptance rate of 92.8 percent, reports Al-Seyassah Daily quoting reliable sources. France, Germany, and Italy remained the top destinations for Kuwaitis, receiving a combined 107,465 applications as France accounted for 40,712 applications, Germany 35,611, and Italy 31,142. Italy led in visa approvals with a 97.10% acceptance rate, followed by Germany at 95%, and France at 94.9%.

Meanwhile, the statistics showed that Norway had the lowest acceptance rate at 72.2%. Germany also issued the highest number of multiple-entry visas to Kuwaitis, granting 153,608 visas in 2023, followed by Italy and France with 85,005 and 53,106, respectively. Despite ongoing efforts to secure a Schengen visa exemption for Kuwaiti citizens -- a process first raised in December 2015 -- the issue remains unresolved.

However, Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Abdullah Al-Yahya recently announced that discussions with European officials are ongoing, and the matter is expected to be raised at the Gulf-European summit in Brussels on October 16. Notably, in September 2023, the European Union introduced a new multiple-entry visa system for Kuwaiti citizens, allowing eligible applicants to obtain Schengen visas valid for up to five years under the CASCADE system.