EU accepts a proposal to hike Schengen visa fees by 12% from June 2024.
The Slovenian foreign ministry confirmed that the European Commission has approved a plan to increase Schengen visa fees globally by 12% from next June. As per the decision, the short-stay visa (type-C visa) fee for adult applicants will be raised from €80 to €90. Similarly, the fee for children aged between 6 and 12 will be augmented from €40 to €45.
Countries failing to comply with EU readmission of irregular immigrants may see their visa costs surge up to €135 or even €180. The hike comes after a scheduled tri-annual review of visa charges in December 2023, as mandated by the Schengen Visa Code.
According to the EU, the raise has been necessitated to offset inflation and rising salaries of civil servants. The last fee revision happened in February 2020, when the applicant fee was increased from €60 to €80. The development has triggered unrest, especially among Turkish citizens, eyeing visa-free travel to the EU.
Short-stay visa requests to the border-free Schengen Area significantly grew by 37% to over 10.3 million in 2023 from the previous year, although below the pre-pandemic high of 17 million in 2019.
The Schengen Zone covers 29 European nations, including 25 EU member states, facilitating seamless movement. While the proposed 12% increase comes as a setback, it aims to sustain the Schengen regime financially.
