If your Schengen Visa gets refused, it’s natural to feel disappointed by the negative outcome.
After dealing with a frustrating, imprecise, confusing and ineffective process due to inconsistent procedures, many rejected applicants contacted us asking for help. And a common question we often get from them is, “Can I apply for a Schengen Visa again after being refused?”
The simple answer is yes; you can apply for a Schengen Visa again after rejection.
In the unfortunate event that your application has been rejected, we’re going to walk you through all the actionable steps you need to take to reapply for a Schengen Visa and travel to Europe. So, without further ado, let’s take an in-depth look at the Schengen Visa re-application process, reasons for reapplying, and recommended time frames to ensure that you don’t raise red flags within the Embassy or Consulate.
1. Reapplying to Get a Second Schengen Visa
In rare cases, applicants who already got a Schengen Visa are looking to immediately reapply for the next trip. In that case, we are encouraging you to wait for at least one to two months before reapplying for a new Schengen Visa, as you can’t have two applications outstanding at one time.
2. Reapplying After a Schengen Visa Rejection
Now, let’s jump to a second scenario (the most common one) in which you need to reapply after your Schengen Visa has been rejected. The actionable steps you must take depend mostly on whether or not you have submitted an Appeal Letter for Schengen Visa Refusal (an official letter you have the right to write to dispute your Schengen Visa rejection).
3. Reapplying Due to Changes in Your Personal Situation
If you’ve got a situation where your complete Schengen Visa application changes, you might need to reapply for another Visa. For example, if you have applied for a multiple entry Visa, but your travel itinerary has changed, and you only need a single entry Visa, this is probably a good justification for reapplying. If that is the situation, your re-application needs to be around that type of Visa, which is a single entry tourist Visa where you don’t need to worry so much about validating that you’re going to travel between a whole heap of different countries.
4. How to Reapply for a Schengen Visa After Refusal
Since reapplying for a Schengen Visa due to rejection is a very common scenario, let’s dive a little bit deeper into the re-application process and see what you need to do to remove the chances of failure.
When reapplying, there is no formal limit time that you have to wait. However, our recommendation is to wait at least 30 days.
If your Schengen Visa got refused, you should find out why the first one was rejected in the first place before submitting a new application.
It is important that you always learn from your mistakes. Being rejected does not put a big black mark against your name or decreases your chances of getting approved later. Yes, the Visa officers do make a note of it. Nevertheless, if your Visa got rejected due to missing documents or otherwise, Embassies and Consulates are completely reasonable. So, you can go through the whole process again and reapply with confidence. If you correct the mistakes you’ve made in your first application and improve your situation, you have a high chance of success.