LJUBLJANA – The fee for the Schengen visa is set to go up from next month as confirmed by Slovenia’s Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs.
According to the fresh fee structure, the adult applicants will have to pay €90 instead of the current €80, marking a 12 percent surge.
For children aged between six and 12, the revised fee is €45. The change would be in effect from June 11th this year.
Besides, countries that haven’t cooperated in repatriating their citizens residing irregularly in EU member states may face escalated fees, reaching up to €135 or €180.
The last modification to visa fees occurred in February 2020, elevating application costs from €60 to €80 and the fresh decision will apply worldwide.
A recent review of the visa fees took place in December last year; the review is taken every three years and the revision comes primarily because the EU has to make up for the inflation and the salaries of civil servants in the Member States.
Throughout the public consultation phase of the proposed regulation, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) conducted an analysis and proposed that the increased visa fees could impede travel affordability, potentially impacting the EU’s local economies by deterring tourists and diminishing travel activity.
It has to be seen how the globetrotters react to the revision of fees and whether the findings of IATA were true or not. The revision comes when more and more countries are inking visa-free agreements with each other and tourists have a diverse range of options to choose from for tourism and recreation.
