These are the main changes that occurred in the EU in 2024: increased Schengen visa fees, border checks, and new citizenship regulations.

These are the main changes that occurred in the EU in 2024
The Schengen Area has seen numerous developments in 2024, the year we are leaving behind. It will be remembered for a number of decisions that were made that had an impact on both EU citizens and foreign nationals.

2024 was a year of changes, from the implementation and extension of internal border controls to the hike in Schengen visa costs.

This article was created by Schengen.News to highlight the significant events that occurred in the bloc this year. The following are the primary shifts that influenced the Schengen Area in 2024

Several EU nations implemented and extended internal border controls.
The implementation and extension of internal border controls by several member states is one of the biggest developments in the Schengen Area this year.

After only implementing internal land border controls for a few countries since June, Germany implemented them for all of its neighboring Schengen member states on September 16, 2024. The German government stated that it aims to safeguard national security and stop unauthorized immigration by enforcing controls at all of its borders.

Germany’s land border controls are expected to stay in effect until March 2025, a six-month period. If things don’t get better, the authorities haven’t ruled out the idea of extending this measure.

In a similar vein, the Netherlands has established border controls with Germany and Belgium, its two Schengen neighbors. On December 9, 2024, the measure went into effect, and it will stay in effect for six months.

However, officials have emphasized that there won’t be any significant changes for those crossing the border during this period because only routine inspections of randomly chosen vehicles will be conducted.

The Schengen nations with which France shares a border also implemented border controls this year. The authorities stated that they hope to combat irregular migration and ensure national security and safety through this measure.

In 2024, border controls were also implemented in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. The border controls in these three nations are no longer effective.

Other nations have also extended internal border controls this year, after putting them in place earlier in 2024. Slovenia, Italy, and Austria are among the Schengen member states that have extended their measures.

Slovenia recently announced that it had decided to extend border controls with Croatia and Hungary until June 2025, having implemented them in June.

Increased Schengen Visa Fee by the EU
This year, the Schengen visa fee was raised, which is another significant change. On June 11, 2024, the EU raised the Schengen visa fee by 12.5%. For practically all applicants, including children, the fee went up.

Adult applicants for Schengen visas now have to pay €90 instead of the previous €80 fee after the new fees went into effect. The cost of a Schengen visa for children has gone up from €40 to €45.

Additionally, applicants from nations that have refused to work with EU authorities to readmit their citizens who are still in the bloc illegally now have to pay a higher fee. Depending on the applicant’s country of origin, the fee has been increased to either €135 or €180.

A plan to gradually launch the EES’s operations over a six-month period has already been proposed by the EU Commission. The goal of this strategy is to give the member states the ability to ensure that the system runs securely and smoothly right away.

The EES is an automated IT system that will modernize the EU’s external borders and replace manual passport stamping; its launch has been repeatedly delayed.

For three years, the gathered data will be kept in a database, which the authorities will use to monitor foreign nationals entering and departing the EU. Among other things, the information will be used to identify individuals using false identities, stop irregular migration, and catch overstayers in the bloc.

The first nation to be taken off the EU’s list of countries that can travel without a visa was Vanuatu.

In 2024, the European Union made the historic decision to strike a nation from the list of countries whose passport holders are granted visa-free access to the Schengen Area.

Vanuatu’s visa-free travel was permanently terminated by the EU in December 2024 after the nation failed to comply with the bloc’s investor citizenship requirements.