Society

Short-stay visa: French embassy announces increase in application fee.

The French Embassy in Cameroon has announced an increase of 12% on the application fee for all short-stay visas to France.
The information is contained in a statement made public recently by the embassy in Yaounde.

The 12% increase in visa application fee, is expected to take effect from June 11, according to the statement, and follows a decision taken by members of the Schengen countries.

The French Embassy, in the statement, noted that from June 11, each adult traveling for a short stay in a Schengen area country will have to pay the sum of 90 euros (approximately) 59,000 FCFA as visa fees, instead of the usual 80 euros, estimated at over 52,500 FCFA.

The embassy, in the same statement, explained that the price of a Schengen visa for children aged six to 12 will equally witness an increase from 40 euros (approximately 26,000 FCFA) to 45 euros estimated at 30,000 FCFA.

“The European Commission has adopted a decision to increase Schengen short-stay visa fee by 12% worldwide. The increase will apply worldwide from June 11, 2024,” part of the release read.

A report from the Schengen countries noted that the reason for the increment was to help countries meet up with the salary levels of their European officials.

The decision, the report explained, followed a meeting which took place in December 2023, during which member countries had to review of the Schengen visa price.

This is not the first-time countries belonging to the Schengen area are increasing their visa application fee.

The latest review on the sector carried out in Brussels in 2020, which led to an increase from 60 to 80 euros.

According to the review, salaries issues were not the lone factor accountable for the increase. Officials, in the review, equally blamed inflation in Europe which they say has in recent time affected business.

Countries that fall within the Schengen area are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

This story was first published in The Guardian Post issue No3137 of Monday June 10, 2024