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The Africans paid 60 million euros ($68 million) for a European short-term visa application that was denied in 2024.
This consisted of 40% of the total amount the European Union received from the fees for rejected visa applications.
Comoros, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria and Ghana had the highest rejection rates for EU visas in 2024, exceeding 45% in each case. However, according to the London-based research and creative organization Lago Collective, the African countries that experienced the highest visa costs year-over-year in 2024 were Eritrea, Botswana and Dr. Congo.
The institutional analysis concluded that rejected visas are disproportionately expensive in low- and middle-income countries.
“The financial costs of a rejected visa are incredible,” said Marta Foresty, founder of the Lago Collective. “The cost of a rejected visa can be thought of as 'reverse remittances', money flowing from poor countries to rich countries.
A chart showing the costs of rejected visas in African countries.
