The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia has assured all of its citizens that the EU’s decision to increase the Schengen visa fees will not affect them.
According to the Ministry’s spokesperson, Ani Badalyan, Armenians will continue to be required to pay the same fees as until now, Schengen News reports.
As Bafalyan explained, it is not probable for the Schengen visa fees to change for Armenian applicants as Armenia and the EU signed an agreement on the facilitation of visa issuance.
The agreement between Armenia and the EU was signed in December 2012. Under this agreement, Armenian Schengen visa applicants are required to pay a €35 Schengen visa fee.
On the other hand, adult applicants from other countries who need a visa to enter the Schengen Area have to pay a €80 fee, and children have to pay a reduced fee of €40, with some other exceptions.
Schengen Visa Fees to Increase to €90 for Other Applicants from June 11
While the Schengen visa fees have remained unchanged for some years, the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Affairs said earlier this month that starting June 11, 2024, Schengen visa applicants will have to pay higher fees.
As the Ministry confirmed, the fees will increase by 12 per cent. This means that adults will have to pay a fee of €90 instead of the current €80, and children will have to pay a fee of €45 instead of €40 as of June 11.
As explained in a draft proposal of the EU Commission earlier in February, the fees are being increased due to the inflation rates in the bloc. The Commission also noted that they need more funds for Member States’ civil servants.
Schengen Countries Registered Over 10.3 million Visa Applications in 2023
In 2023, third-country nationals applied for a total of 10,327,572 Schengen visas. Of the total number of applicants, 8,492,775 of them were granted a visa whereas 1,632,984 of them were refused a visa.
The top three Schengen member states that registered the highest number of Schengen visa applications in 2023 are France, Germany, and Spain. In addition to these, Italy and the Netherlands also received a high number of applications.
France, Germany, and Spain registered a total of 2,625,846, 1,459,560, and 1,413,222 Schengen visa applications last year, respectively.
France issued 2,169,332 Schengen visas to nationals of third countries in 2023 – the highest number among all Schengen member states.
As for Germany and Spain, they issued 1,233,561 and 1,093,803 Schengen visas last year.
Regarding applicants, data show that nationals of China, Türkiye, and India filed the highest number of Schengen visa applications last year.
Source: https://schengen.news/schengen-visa-fees-will-not-increase-for-armenians-foreign-ministry-confirms/
