Schengen Visa Fees to Increase by 12% Worldwide Starting June 11
The European Commission has announced that Schengen visa fees for short-stay visas (type C) will increase by 12%. This decision will take effect on June 11 worldwide. As a result, the new Schengen visa fees will be €90 for adults and €45 for children aged 6 to 12.
Moreover, countries that do not cooperate with the readmission of their citizens who are illegally staying in the EU may be required to pay visa fees of up to €135 or even €180.
According to the European Commission's figures, EU and Schengen-associated country consulates received over 10.3 million short-stay visa applications in 2023, a 37% increase compared to 2022 (7.5 million). However, this figure is still lower than the number of applications received in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here are the top 5 countries for visa applications in 2023:
- China: 1,117,365
- Turkey: 1,055,885
- India: 966,687
- Morocco: 591,401
- Russia: 520,387
In 2023, nearly 8.5 million visas were issued. Meanwhile, the refusal rate has slightly increased in some countries, for example:
- Belarus: 1.9% in 2022 vs. 3.4% in 2023
- Russia: 10.2% in 2022 vs. 10.6% in 2023
- Turkey: 15.7% in 2022 vs. 16.1% in 2023