Nigerians planning trips to Schengen countries may need to allocate more funds for visa applications as the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs announced an impending increase in visa fees effective June 11, 2024.
According to the Ministry's statement, adult applicants for short-term visas to Slovenia will see their fees rise from €80 to €90, while fees for children aged six to 12 will increase from €40 to €45. This decision aligns with the European Commission's move to raise short-stay Schengen visa fees globally by 12%.
In 2023, a total of 105,926 Nigerian applicants sought Schengen visas, with 62,099 approvals, representing an approval rate of approximately 58.61%. Additionally, nationals from countries that have not cooperated on the readmission of irregularly staying nationals in the EU will face higher visa fees, ranging from €135 to €180, depending on the Council's decision.
While the European Union's Commission has yet to announce the official date of the fee increase, it is expected to publish the change in its Official Journal by the end of the week. This development coincides with the EU's revelation of a 36.3% increase in visas issued in 2023 compared to 2022, although the numbers remain 39% lower than the pre-pandemic levels of 2019, when Schengen states received 16 million applications.
In 2023 alone, Nigerians expended €8,474,080 on Schengen visa applications. With the anticipated fee hike, maintaining the same application numbers would result in total expenditures soaring to €9,533,340, marking an increase of €1,059,260, as reported by SchengenNews.
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