The top tourism body said on Friday that Turkish applicants were being effectively "shut out" of the Schengen visa application system, citing persistent appointment shortages and alleged technical manipulation of booking platforms.
The remarks by the Turkish Travel Agencies Association (TÜRSAB) came after data showed Türkiye was the second-largest source of Schengen visa applications worldwide in 2025.
According to statistics published by the European Commission, applications to Schengen Area countries reached 11.93 million last year, an increase of 1.8% from 2024.
Türkiye accounted for nearly 1.27 million applications, ranking second after China. The figure compared to 1.17 million in 2024 and just over 1 million in 2023.
The rejection rate for Turkish applicants stood at 14.6% last year, up 0.1 percentage points from 2024.
The TÜRSAB said in a statement that the data confirms a structural access problem rather than a lack of demand.
Its Chair Firuz Bağlıkaya said Turkish citizens are often unable to even enter the application process because of limited appointment availability.
He argued that the system itself has become a barrier.
For years, Turkish citizens and businesses have complained about the EU's visa system, including long appointment wait times, the issuance of very short-term visas and high rejection rates.
Bağlıkaya pointed to sharp declines in applications to key destinations such as Italy and France, which are among the most popular countries for organized tour programs.
According to EU data, applications to Italy fell by 32.3% year-over-year, while France recorded a 6% decline.
Bağlıkaya attributed the drop to reduced access to visa appointments, rather than weakening travel interest.
"Due to current practices, our citizens are shut out of the system before they even get a chance to submit a visa application," he noted.
He further claimed that the appointment system is being exploited, alleging that limited time slots are rapidly captured by automated bot accounts and later resold at significantly higher prices.
Bağlıkaya said figures reportedly were reaching up to 1,000 euros ($1,165) per appointment in urgent cases.
"A stop must be put to this situation," he stressed.
