As of last Tuesday, June 11, nationals of Cape Verde applying for a Schengen visa at the consulates or visa centres of any of the Member States located in this country, are required to pay a fee of €67.5.
The increase of 12.5 per cent from the €60 cost for applying for a Schengen Visa as a passport holder of Cape Verde follows a decision of the EU to increase Schengen visa fees worldwide, Schengen.News reports.
As of June 11, 2024, the fee for a Schengen visa has raised from €80 to €90 for adults and from €40 to €45 for children aged six to below 12 years. The fee for nationals of Cabo Verde under the corresponding visa facilitation agreement has increased from €60 to €67,50. Visa fees under other visa facilitation agreements remain the same €35.
Generated Income From Schengen Visa Fees Is Invested Back in the Processing Procedures, Commission Says
The European Union is increasing Schengen visa fees due to several factors, including the annual inflation rate in the Euro area, as well as the average salary of a civil servant in EU countries.
After being accused for cashing in Schengen visa fees of rejected applications, the Commission’s Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs has pointed out that the generated income is invested entirely in enhancing visa procedures.
The income generated through visa applications will be reinvested into making available more resources, including staff for processing visa applications. This should decrease the waiting time for appointments for a Schengen visa.
More Cape Verdeans Applied for Schengen Visas in 2023, Fewer Were Rejected
The number of Cape Verde passport holders applying for Schengen visas in 2023 has increased by a slight 4.37 per cent compared to a year before, from 17,572 to 18,341.
Data show, that contrary to the increase in the number of applications, the rejection rate has dropped. While in 2022, the Schengen states rejected 28.7 per cent of visas for Cape Verdeans, or 5,055, the rate dropped to 24 per cent last year, or 4,380 applications rejected.
The number of visa requests filed by this nationality reached its highest in 2019, before the outbreak of the Corona pandemic, when the Schengen consulates and visa centres received 22,948 applications in Cape Verde. Of those, 14,598 were rejected.
The lowest number of applications was marked in 2022, when the Schengen countries still had COVID-19 restrictions in place. In the same year, 4,776 applications were filed in Cape Verde, and 3,745 were approved.
