Rejection of Schengen visas and long delays in appointments for applications worry Turkish citizens who have to wait for months for entry to European Union (EU) countries, only to be refused access. For President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, it is "political blackmail," while the head of an association representing Turkish travel agencies says it is something "systemic."
Delays and rejections mounted in the past year, blocking the travel of Turkish tourists to EU countries, while citizens of the country complain they cannot visit their spouses living in Europe.
Firuz Bağlıkaya, chair of the Turkish Travel Agencies Association (TÜRSAB), says it is an "unfortunate, systemic blocking."
"Along with the delay of the applications, the rate of citizens rejected is very high. The rate of rejected visas was more than 15% in 2022 and this year, it increased to around 50%," he told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Wednesday.
Turkish nationals have been complaining of lengthy processing times and a growing number of EU visa rejections since last year, in a row that frustrated Ankara, which called the efforts "deliberate." Turkish officials have called for a swift solution, lower fees, permits for multi-visa entries and "fairer" evaluation standards for people like academicians and businesspeople in terms of economic and educational activities.
Türkiye and the bloc enjoy good trade ties and decades of migration; however, relations are strained over multiple issues, including the prolonged process of modernization, expansion of the scope of the current customs union agreement and EU policies on refugees from Syria. Before the coronavirus pandemic, Schengen states received more than 900,000 visa applications annually from Türkiye, but that figure dropped to around 270,000 in 2021.
Bağlıkaya says visa denial and delays were an attempt to curb the freedom of travel of people and for travel agencies organizing tours abroad for Turkish citizens, a serious economic loss.
In a speech at an event in the capital Ankara by a business association on Tuesday, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that they would resolve the visa issue, "which has been turned into political blackmail, as soon as possible." Turkish businesspeople are among those who face rejection of Schengen visas or long delays in visa appointments. Some countries claim these delays are due to a backlog of post-COVID-19 applications, but Turkish authorities have branded it as a politically motivated move.
After a Turkish lawmaker filed a report titled "Misuse of the Schengen Information System as a Politically Driven Sanction by Member States of the Council of Europe," highlighting the "unnecessary and large amount of paperwork" required for visas, as well as high fees and the requirement that applications be submitted in person, the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) approved a resolution calling for European states to avoid abusing the Schengen Information System (SIS).
The resolution said that although it was the right of states to decide who to allow into the country, they should also respect the rights of third-country nationals trying to enter the Schengen area, "in line with the European Convention on Human Rights."
Last year, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu announced that all ambassadors had been summoned to the ministry and "the necessary warnings were issued."
Bağlıkaya says Erdoğan’s statements on the visa issue were appreciated and showed Türkiye’s resolve to solve the issue. "I believe the Foreign Ministry will hold new negotiations (with the EU) to address the issue in the coming days," he said.
He stated that PACE’s recommendation did not lead to a concrete step by EU countries to solve the issue. "They used to have a quota of 1,000 applications in visas in the past and now it is reduced to 200," he complained.
He added that travel agencies are required to make long-term plans and early bookings due to the nature of their business and had to pay in advance. "But the visa application process which was delayed for 10 days at most in the past now is scheduled to much later dates. Solo travelers and travel agencies have to resort to intermediary agencies to secure a visa appointment under the name of ‘VIP application’ and that cost them high fees. These ‘VIP applications’ cost at least 300 euros ($320), compared to 80 euros charged for regular visa applications," he lamented.
Bağlıkaya said TÜRSAB shared its concerns over visa issues with the consulates of France, Italy, Greece, the Netherlands and Spain, as well as the United Kingdom and the United States and they were now waiting for an immediate solution to the issue.
The visa denial and delays also affect Turks with spouses in Europe like Turancan Demir, a 24-year-old waiter from the southern province of Antalya, who is married to Skurta Kastrati, a Swedish citizen of Kosovo descent last year. Kastrati returned to Sweden after the marriage, believing her husband would be granted entry to the country after arranging his paperwork. Yet, Demir joined the growing group of visa rejects turned down by the Swedish Consulate in Istanbul.
The young man is desperate to reunite with his wife, who will give birth to his son in two months. "I wanted to be with her at birth, but I can’t," he complained in an interview with Ihlas News Agency (IHA) on Monday.
His father, Zeki Demir, says he is worried about his son, who is mentally wrecked due to the rejection. "They talk online every day for hours and both are desperate. We asked authorities to help us but there was no solution. They should not separate a loving couple expecting a child," he says.
Similarly, A.K., a police officer serving in Istanbul, has been unable to reunite with his fiancee in Germany. A.K. and his girlfriend, a German citizen, arranged a wedding date for June 3 but Germany rejected his visa application. Oddly, his mother managed to receive a visa. A.K. told the Posta newspaper that they both applied at the same time. A.K. says he booked a "VIP application" through Greece but it was rejected as well.
"My mother left for Germany for the wedding but I have to stay here," he said.