The European Commission will raise Schengen visa fees starting June 11, 2024.
According to Slovenia’s Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, visa fees for adults will increase from €80 to €90, while fees for children aged six to twelve will rise from €40 to €45.
Additionally, countries not cooperating with the readmission of their irregularly staying citizens in the EU may face visa fees increasing to €135 or €180.
The European Commission adopted a decision to increase short-stay Schengen visa (visa type C) fees worldwide by 12 percent. The increase will apply worldwide as of 11 June 2024,” stated the Slovenian government.
Reasons for the Fee Increase
This fee hike follows a review of EU visa fees in December 2023, which happens every three years as required by the Schengen Visa Code.
The EU cites inflation and civil servants’ salaries as the reasons for the increase. The previous fee increase occurred in February 2020 when fees rose from €60 to €80.
The decision has caused dissatisfaction, especially among Turkish citizens who are waiting for a visa-free agreement with the EU.
In 2023, the Schengen Area received over 10.3 million short-stay visa applications, a 37% increase from 2022 but still below the 2019 peak of 17 million applications.
Schengen Area Overview
The Schengen area includes 29 European countries, with 25 being EU states.
The countries part of the Schengen area are Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany,
Estonia, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, Netherlands, Austria, Poland,
Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland, Sweden, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.
When Do You Need a Schengen Visa?
If you are entering the Schengen Area from a country without a visa-free travel agreement, you need to apply for a Schengen visa.
The four main Schengen Visa types—A, B, C, and D—are available for these travelers.
The most common Schengen visa, known as a Uniform Schengen Visa, includes types A, B, and C. This visa allows you to visit any Schengen Zone country once every six months for up to 90 days.
It also covers your airport transit visa. If you’re traveling to Europe for a short time, you will require this visa.
Indian Travelers to Europe
Indian nationals have shown a growing interest in European travel, with a 43% increase in Schengen visa applications in 2023 compared to 2022.
India ranked third in visa applications, with 966,687 filings.
Chinese nationals led with 1.1 million applications, marking China’s return to the top spot since 2018.
SchengenVisaInfo reports that over 10% of 2023 applications were from Chinese nationals, followed by Turkish and Indian nationals.
The European Commission introduced a new visa “cascade” regime for Indian nationals, easing access to multi-entry visas with extended validity.
Indian nationals residing in India can now obtain a two-year multi-entry visa after lawfully using two visas within the previous three years.
This can be followed by a five-year visa, allowing short stays of up to 90 days within any 180-day period.
