Visa Rejections in 2024 Resulted in €145 Million Losses for Applicants

Applicants Lost €145 Million on Rejected Schengen Visa Applications in 2024

In 2024, Schengen countries saw a surge in visa applications, receiving a total of 11.7 million requests, a 13.4% increase compared to the 10.3 million applications filed in 2023. However, this rise also came with a significant financial burden for applicants, particularly those whose visa requests were denied.

Visa Rejections Cost Applicants €145 Million

Due to the elevated number of rejections, applicants lost approximately €145 million on 1.7 million rejected visa applications. This figure marks an 11% increase in losses, or €14.3 million more than in 2023, when rejected applications cost applicants around €130 million.

The increase in application costs is partly attributed to the EU raising the Schengen visa fee to €90 as of June 11, 2024. For calculation purposes, an average application fee of €85 was used, representing the blended cost between the old €80 fee and the new €90 rate.

EU Revenue from Visa Applications Surpasses €995 Million

With over 11.7 million applications submitted at an average cost of €85, the EU generated €995.9 million in revenue from visa applications in 2024. This marks a 20.5% increase compared to €826 million in 2023.

While the total revenue rose, the share of losses from rejected applications slightly decreased, from 15.8% in 2023 to 14.5% in 2024, even though the absolute value increased.

Top Spending Nationalities for Visa Applications in 2024

The top 10 nationalities spent the most on Schengen visa applications and also recorded some of the highest rejection-related losses:

Highest Rejection Burdens by Percentage

While large-volume applicants absorbed the highest financial losses in total, smaller nations had higher per-capita rejection burdens:

• Comoros: 1,754 rejections out of 2,853 applications = €149,090 in losses
• Bangladesh: €1.7 million lost
• Pakistan: €2.9 million lost
• Guinea-Bissau: €143,480 lost
• Senegal: €2.7 million lost
• Haiti: €176,290 lost
• Nigeria: €4.2 million lost
• Ghana: €2.1 million lost
• DR Congo: €955,145 lost
• Mali: €387,600 lost

African nationals remain the most financially impacted group by Schengen visa rejections in 2024, as the majority of the countries with the highest losses are from the continent.

Countries That Earned the Most from Visa Applications

Among the Schengen states, the top revenue generators from visa applications were:

Together, these top five countries processed 63.6% of all applications and earned a combined €633.5 million out of the total €995.9 million generated in 2024.

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