The European Commission, a body within the European Union (EU) responsible for executive functions, has declared a 12% rise in application fees for short-stay Schengen visas (type C) to its member nations, effective Tuesday, June 11, 2024.
Foreign adults, including Ghanaians, are now required to pay €90, marking a €10 surge from the previous €80 for a Schengen visa.
Children aged 6 to 12 will also be charged €45 for a visa, reflecting a €5 increase from the previous €40 fee. However, visas for children under 6 remain complimentary, according to graphic.com.gh.
The European Commission cited the “general Union-wide inflation rate and the weighted average of the salaries of Member States’ civil servants between July 1, 2020, and July 1, 2023” as reasons for the Schengen visa cost hike.
Schengen visas permit non-European Union citizens to travel to any member country within the Schengen zone for a maximum of 90 days within a 180-day period.
Although facilitating travel across all Schengen countries during its validity, this visa does not authorize stays exceeding 90 days or engagement in employment/business activities within the zone.
The Schengen area comprises 26 European countries, namely Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland, which have eliminated internal border controls.
Per the report by graphic.com.gh, visa agencies and travel companies have the discretion to increase their service fees for handling Schengen visa applications from €40 to €45.
Furthermore, the cost of extending a Schengen visa remains unchanged at €30.