Higher Schengen Visa Fees, Border Checks & New Citizenship Rules: Here Are Main Changes That Took Place in EU in 2024

The year that we are leaving behind, 2024, has brought many developments to the Schengen Area and will be remembered for a number of decisions taken that have affected both citizens of the EU and foreign nationals.

From the introduction of internal border controls and their prolongation to the increase in the Schengen visa fees, 2024 was a year of shifts.

To highlight the major events that took place in the bloc this year, Schengen.News has put together this article. Here are the main changes that shaped the Schengen Area throughout 2024:

Multiple EU Countries Introduced & Prolonged Internal Border Controls
One of the most significant changes that took place in the Schengen Area this year is the introduction and prolongation of internal border controls by a number of member states.

Germany introduced internal land border controls with all its neighbouring Schengen member states on September 16, 2024, after having this measure in place only for certain countries since June. By implementing controls at all its borders, the German authorities said that they want to protect national security and prevent irregular migration to the country.

The land border controls of Germany are set to remain in place for a period of six months until March 2025. However, the authorities have not excluded the possibility of extending this measure if the situation does not improve.

Similarly, the Netherlands has also implemented border checks with its two Schengen neighbouring countries – Belgium and Germany. The measure entered into force on December 9, 2024, and will remain effective for six months.

Nonetheless, the authorities have stressed that those crossing the border will not see much change during this time as there will only be standard checks of randomly selected cars.

This year, France introduced border controls with the Schengen countries that it shares the border with, too. Through this measure, the authorities said that they aim to ensure national security and safety and combat irregular migration.

Norway, Denmark and Sweden also put border controls in place in 2024. These three countries’ border measures are no longer effective.

In addition, some other countries have prolonged their internal border controls this year, in addition to implementing them earlier in 2024. The list of Schengen member states that have extended their measures includes Slovenia, Italy, and Austria.

Slovenia introduced border controls with Croatia and Hungary in June, and just recently, the country announced that it had decided to extend this measure until June 2025.

Italy has also decided to extend its border controls with Slovenia from December 19, and Austria has prolonged checks with Hungary and Slovenia.

EU Increased Schengen Visa Fee
Another important change made this year is the hike of the Schengen visa fee. The EU increased the Schengen visa fee by 12.5 per cent on June 11, 2024. The fee increased for almost all applicants, including children.

Following the entry into force of the new fees, adults applying for Schengen visas have been required to pay €90 instead of the previous fee of €80. As for children, the Schengen visa fee has increased from €40 to €45.

The fee has also been increased for applicants from countries that have refused to cooperate with the EU authorities for the readmission of their nationals who remain irregularly in the bloc. The fee for this group of applicants has been hiked to €135 or €180, depending on the country of origin.

While the fee changed for almost all foreigners, the prices remained unchanged for nationals of countries that have visa facilitation agreements with the EU. Moreover, categories that are exempt from the visa fees also continue to remain unaffected by the new changes.

The Launch of Entry/Exit System Was Postponed
The EU was set to launch the Entry/Exit System (EES) on November 10, 2024. However, due to some problems and unreadiness expressed by some member states, its launch was postponed for 2025.

The EU officially removed November 10 from the table at the beginning of October. Back then, the Home Affairs Commissioner, Ylva Johansson, said that the EU would work on a new timeline. At the same time, she noted that as an alternative, the EU is considering launching the EES in a phased manner.

The EU Commission has already made a proposal on the progressive start of operations of the EES over a period of six months. This approach aims to allow the member states to make sure that the system operates smoothly and safely from the first day.

The EES, whose launch has been postponed several times, is an automated IT system that will replace manual passport stamping and modernise the EU’s external borders.

As soon as the system gets launched, all foreigners, regardless of whether they are eligible for visa-free entry into the EU or not, will need to register by providing their biometric data – fingerprints and facial images – and some other information.

The collected data will be stored in a database for three years, and this information will be used by the authorities to keep track of foreigners who enter and leave the EU. The data will also be used to prevent irregular migration, detect those who overstay in the bloc, and identify people using fake identities, among others.

Vanuatu Became the First Country to Be Removed From EU’s List of Nations Eligible for Visa-Free Travel
For the first time in history, in 2024, the EU decided to remove a country from the list of nations whose passport holders are eligible for visa-free entry to the Schengen Area.

The EU permanently ended visa-free travel for Vanuatu in December 2024, following the country’s failure to meet the bloc’s requirements for its investor citizenship scheme.

According to Rapporteur Paulo Cunha, Vanuatu has been selling its citizenship in exchange for money and has been abusing the EU’s trust.

The EU authorities further suggested that Vanuatu has been applying facilitated rules to this group of foreigners wanting to obtain its citizenship, putting the bloc’s safety and security at risk.

The decision of the EU means that all passport holders of Vanuatu, including those who have obtained citizenship via investment, will need to undergo visa application procedures and obtain a visa in order to be permitted entry into the Schengen Area.

Europe Continued to Remain Top Travel Destination for International Visitors
The European continent continued to remain a favourite destination for travellers from all over the world in 2024, too.

According to a report from the European Travel Commission (ETC) published earlier in October of this year, around 40 per cent of foreigners who took part in a survey said that they were planning to travel long-haul to European destinations between September and December 2024.

The main reason that has pushed foreigners to choose Europe as their travel destination was safety, which remained a top criterion for 52 per cent of respondents. Other criteria that foreign travellers looked upon before deciding to travel to Europe were tourism infrastructure and must-see sites.

In addition to the above-mentioned, the majority of foreigners who took trips to Europe in 2024 did so for leisure purposes. Culture and history were also among their main motivations for visiting the continent.

On the other hand, affordability was the main concern of foreign nationals who planned on visiting Europe in 2024.

Germany’s New Citizenship Law Entered Into Force
The new citizenship law of Germany entered into force on June 27, 2024, marking an important change.

Germany’s new citizenship law includes ten key points that aim to make it easier for foreigners to obtain the country’s passport.

One of the most important points is that under the new law, Germany now offers foreigners the possibility to hold multiple citizenship. This means that foreigners residing in Germany who apply for citizenship do not have to give up their previous citizenship when they become German citizens.

Another advantage of the new law is that it permits foreigners to obtain citizenship more quickly. Under the accelerated procedure, since the new law entered into force, foreigners have been eligible to apply for German citizenship after five years of legal residence in the country instead of the previous eight years.

The waiting period has also been shortened for foreigners who are married to a German citizen and those who are fully integrated into society. These groups of foreigners are now permitted to apply for a German passport after four and three years, respectively.

In addition to the above-mentioned, the new law has brought along several changes for foreigners, including children born in Germany to foreign parents and the guest worker generation, among others.

Finland Tightened Citizenship Criteria
While Germany introduced a new law aimed at enabling foreigners to obtain citizenship more quickly, the case is not the same for Finland.

In October of this year, the Finnish government decided to increase the residence period requirement for those who want to obtain the country’s passport.

In line with the new rules that Finland has, which entered into force on October 1, 2024, candidates for Finnish citizenship now need to prove that they have been legally residing within the country for eight years instead of the previous five years.

However, as the Finnish authorities explained back then, the new requirement does now apply to everyone. Certain categories of foreigners are not subject to tightened rules.

Several other countries, including Czechia and Poland, have also announced plans to tighten their citizenship laws. However, new rules have not yet been put into force.

Hungary Relaunched Golden Visa Program & Greece Increased Investment Requirement
After terminating its Golden Visa Program in 2017, Hungary relaunched the scheme on July 1, 2024.

Known as the Guest Investor Program, this scheme of Hungary allows foreign nationals to obtain Hungarian residency in exchange for investments.

In order to benefit from Hungary’s Golden Visa Program, foreigners can follow three investment options as follows:

• Purchase a real estate unit for a minimum amount of €250,000
• Purchase a residential property for €500,000
• Make a donation of at least €1,000,000 to a higher education institution in Hungary

As for Greece, the country increased the Golden Visa investment requirements this year. To meet the specific needs of different areas across the country, Greece introduced tailored investment thresholds, reaching up to €800,000.

The parts of the country in which foreigners need to invest a minimum of €800,000 to secure a residence permit through the Golden Visa Program of Greece include Attica, Mykonos, Santorini, and Thessaloniki, among others.

On the other hand, for some other areas, the minimum investment requirement was set to a minimum of €400,000 investment.

Work Migration to the EU Remained High Due to Sharp Labour Shortages
Similar to the previous years, work migration to the EU continued to remain high in 2024 amid the labour shortages that a number of member states have been experiencing.

Data show that the number of work permits granted to foreign workers by EU countries during specific periods of 2024 was large.

For example, from January until the end of October 2024, Sweden granted a total of 23,870 work permits to foreign nationals. Such numbers suggest that the country was in need of foreign workers in different sectors, especially in those dealing with shortages.

Romania and Ireland also granted a high number of work permits to foreign nationals. Between January and September 2024, Romania issued 77,426 work permits to non-EU workers, whereas between January and August 2024, Ireland issued 27,181 work permits for foreigners wanting to enter its territory for work purposes.

In addition to the above-mentioned, Germany issued ten per cent more visas to migrant workers this year compared to 2023.

By increasing the number of visas for foreign workers, the German government wants to attract more foreign workers who are urgently needed for its economy.

Several other EU countries also took measures to attract more foreign workers to help different businesses nationwide deal with shortages.

Source: https://schengen.news/higher-schengen-visa-fees-border-checks-new-citizenship-rules-here-are-main-changes-that-took-place-in-eu-in-2024/