Applicants for Schengen visas filed 11.7 million applications in 2024. This figure was up by 13.4 per cent compared to 2023 numbers, when 10.3 million visa applications were filed.
According to statistics published by SchengenVisaInfo, the number of rejected applications has also increased during this period, from 1.6 million in 2023 to 1.7 million in the following year, accounting for an increase of 4.4 per cent during this one-year period, Schengen.News reports.
As a result, expenses for Schengen visa applications, especially for rejected applicants, have been higher than in the previous year. On top of that, expenses for applications have been higher in general since the EU raised the Schengen visa application fee to €90 on June 11, 2024.
In total, applicants spent €145 million on rejected applications, resulting in a 11 per cent increase in expenses or €14.3 million more spent on visa applications that were turned down compared to 2023 numbers.
To provide a fair estimate of the expenses incurred by applicants in 2024, we calculated the average cost of a Schengen visa application at €85, reflecting the average between the €80 fee in the first half of the year and the €90 fee in the second half.
EU Cashed Over €995 Million in Visa Applications in 2024
As the data reveal, out of over 11.7 million applications, costing an estimated average of €85, the EU has cashed a total of €995,921,455. That is 20.5 per cent more than the €826 million they received in 2023.
There are two reasons that could impact this surge – one being the hike in visa prices to €90, and the second one being the increase in visa applications. As mentioned above, visa applications were up by 13.4 per cent in 2024, from 10.3 million to 11.7 million.
Although expenses were higher in 2024, the share of the amount of rejected applications was smaller than in the previous year. While in 2023, the cost of rejected applications reached €130 million – 15.8 per cent of the €826 million that the EU received for visa applications, in 2024, this share dropped to 14.5 per cent.
More specifically, the amount of rejected applications (1.7 million visa requests) was €145 million and represented 14.5 per cent of the €995.9 million that the EU received in visa applications. In total, applicants lost €145 million on rejected applications in 2024.
These Were Top Spenders for Visa Applications Last Year
In terms of numbers, the top ten nationalities with the most visa applications for 2024 also had the highest expenses, as the following list reveals:
- China – Applicants filed 1.7 million applications, spending €151.2 million. A total of 80,703 applications were rejected, resulting in €6.8 million in lost expenses.
- Türkiye – 1.17 million applications, €99.7 million in expenses, 170,129 rejected, €14.5 million in expenses.
- India – 1.1 million applications, €94.2 million in expenses -165,266 rejected, €14 million expenses.
- Morocco – 606,800 applications, €51.6 million in expenses – 115,774 rejected, €9.8 million in expenses.
- Russia – 606,594 applications, €51.6 million expenses – 44,885 rejected, €3.8 million in expenses.
- Algeria – 544,634 applications, €46.3 million – 185,101 rejected – €15.7 million in expenses.
- Saudi Arabia – 505,455 applications, €43 million – 29,517 rejected, €2.5 million in expenses.
- United Kingdom – 470,569 applications, €40 million applications – 32,390 rejected, €2.75 million in expenses.
- Thailand – 265,243 applications, €22.5 million expenses – 16,361 rejected, €1.39 million in expenses.
- United Arab Emirates – 260,229 applications, €22.1 million expenses – 61,738 rejected, €5.2 million in expenses.
However, in terms of rejection rates, representing nationalities with the highest share of rejected applications in proportion with application rates, applicants from Comoros had the highest expenses – €149,090 lost for 1,754 rejected applications out of 2,853 applications filed.
Furthermore, Bangladeshis lost €1.7 million, Pakistanis (€2.9 million), applicants from Guinea-Bissau (€143,480), Senegalese (€2.7 million), Haitians (€176,290), Nigerians (€4.2 million), Ghanians (€2.1 million), Congolese (€955,145) and Malians (€387,600). Like in 2023, African countries remain most affected financially by visa rejection rates, as the majority of the countries on the list with the highest expenses are from the African continent.
As per countries that received the most visa applications and profit from these applications, France leads this list with over three million applications and €261.1 million in expenses. Spain follows second with 1.6 million applications received, amounting to €138.9 million.
Germany received 1.5 million applications, amounting to €128.5 million in expenses, while expenses for visa applications to Italy totalled to €104.8 million as the authorities received 1.2 million applications.
The amounts generated from rejected applications of these five countries, which received 63.6 per cent of all applications, total to €633.5 million of €995.9 million that Schengen states generated from visa applications in 2024.
