EU Plans to Raise Schengen Visa Fees
The European Commission has announced that starting June 11, the short stay Schengen visa (visa type C) fees will be increased worldwide by 12%. According to reports from SchengenNews on May 20, the visa fees for adults will be 90 euros (US$97) and for children aged six to below 12 years, it will be 45 euros (US$48).
The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovenia has informed third country nationals in need of a Schengen visa about the upcoming higher fees. This increase in fees is expected to impact travelers from Kazakhstan, as data from SchengenNews indicates that in 2023, 159,072 Kazakh citizens applied for Schengen Visa, out of which 143,970 visas were approved, resulting in an approval rate of approximately 90.51%.
In 2023, Kazakh nationals spent 12.7 million euros (US$13.7 million) on Schengen visa applications. With the new fee structure, experts predict that if the same number of people apply for visas, the total expenditure is expected to rise to 14.3 million euros (US$15 million), marking an increase of 1.5 million euros (US$1.6 million). Travelers from Kazakhstan are advised to keep this fee increase in mind when planning their trips to Schengen countries.
