Schengen Visa Nightmare: Turkish Citizens Lose Seven Hundred And Seventy Five Million Euros– Here’s What You Need To Know

Friday, July 18, 2025

In nan 15 years since, Turkish citizens person paid nan exorbitant 775 cardinal euros successful Schengen visa fees. That fig reflects nan heavy and costly dilemmas successful nan analyzable narration betwixt Turkey and nan European Union, which person included stalled EU accession talks and a growingly convoluted visa scheme. The effects of this person been felt not conscionable by visitors but besides by businesspeople, students and professionals seeking to build ties pinch Europe – each of whom person had to wade done a costly, opaque and bureaucratic system.

For many, nan travel to obtaining a Schengen visa is acold from elemental aliases inexpensive. The charismatic visa fees, which full 775 cardinal euros complete nan past decade and a half, don’t moreover statesman to relationship for nan hidden costs. These see expenses for archive translations, notarizations, certified slope statements, and recreation costs to distant cities to taxable paperwork. In galore cases, applicants besides look nan prime of paying other for VIP services to expedite their applications, highlighting nan financial drain that has go a important portion of Turkey’s narration pinch nan EU.

The implications of this business are felt astir acutely by businesspeople and students. For entrepreneurs looking to be waste and acquisition fairs aliases meet imaginable European partners, securing a visa is simply a drawn-out and unpredictable process, often requiring months of preparation. Students hoping to study successful nan EU, including those accepted to prestigious Erasmus speech programs, look visa denials aliases important delays that tin derail their world plans. These disruptions person far-reaching consequences for individuals and full industries, arsenic opportunities for collaboration and invention are hindered by nan system’s complexity.

The Hidden Costs: A Growing Industry and Personal Struggles

While nan nonstop costs of Schengen visa applications magnitude to a important financial burden, nan indirect costs are moreover much severe. Document translator services, certification of financial status, and nan request for aggregate trips to different cities successful bid to schedule visa appointments create a analyzable maze for galore Turkish citizens. These steps unsocial tin summation nan wide costs of a visa exertion by hundreds of euros. Furthermore, nan process itself often leads to agelong delays, arsenic assignment slots are scarce and nan strategy is notorious for being difficult to navigate.

The increasing request for assistance has led to nan emergence of an full manufacture of intermediaries, consultants, and recreation agents, who connection to thief applicants navigate nan labyrinth of visa applications successful speech for important fees. For many, these added expenses correspond different obstacle to their extremity of traveling, studying, aliases moving successful nan EU. In galore cases, nan financial load becomes insurmountable, making nan imaginable of European recreation look for illustration an unattainable dream.

As nan European Union continues to evolve, it is clear that nan visa rumor has go a awesome of nan unequal curen faced by Turkish citizens. The economical drain caused by these fees, coupled pinch nan unpredictable quality of nan system, reinforces a consciousness of vexation and injustice. For many, nan dream of experiencing Europe aliases advancing their careers and studies is perpetually retired of scope owed to bureaucratic barriers.

Comparing Visa Systems: The Inequity of Turkish Citizens’ Treatment

Comparisons pinch different countries exemplify nan stark disparity faced by Turkish citizens. Many of Turkey’s neighboring countries, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Ukraine, person achieved visa-free entree to nan Schengen Area, contempt not being EU members. This highlights nan contradiction successful Turkey’s narration pinch nan EU, wherever economical practice done nan Customs Union allows equipment to travel freely, but group look important hurdles successful accessing nan aforesaid benefits. It is simply a paradox that has sparked outrage and calls for reform.

Furthermore, countries for illustration Kosovo, which look unsocial challenges successful securing EU membership, person precocious achieved visa liberalization, further intensifying nan consciousness of unfairness felt by Turkish citizens. Despite being a cardinal waste and acquisition partner pinch nan EU and a campaigner state for membership, Turkey’s citizens proceed to struggle pinch restrictive visa policies that are astatine likelihood pinch nan tone of integration that nan EU claims to promote.

The Case for Reform: A Path Forward for Visa Liberalization

The lawsuit for betterment successful Turkey’s visa strategy is not simply an rumor of fairness—it is 1 of economical and governmental necessity. As Turkey has completed 66 retired of nan 72 criteria required for visa liberalization nether nan EU-Turkey dialogue, it is basal that nan remaining issues beryllium addressed. These see anti-corruption measures, judicial practice pinch nan EU, and revisions to anti-terror laws to align pinch European standards of quality rights.

The EU’s nonaccomplishment to prioritize these reforms has delayed nan imaginable for Turkish citizens to summation visa-free entree to nan Schengen Area, creating ongoing vexation for individuals who consciousness that they are being unfairly treated contempt Turkey’s important economical contributions. Without resolving nan visa issue, nan narration betwixt Turkey and nan EU remains unbalanced, pinch equipment flowing freely while group are held backmost by bureaucratic barriers.

Conclusion: A Frustrating Reality for Turkish Citizens

The continued trouble knowledgeable by Turkish nationals successful acquiring Schengen visas is simply a important hindrance to travel, economical progress, and practice among nations. The economical load complete nan past 15 years of exertion fees – 775 cardinal euros – serves arsenic a reminder of nan hardship faced each twelvemonth by millions of Turkish citizens. This long-standing problem, 1 that manifestly is not solved by Turkey’s being a partner successful a Customs Union pinch nan EU, highlights nan value of creating a much reasonable strategy and for group to beryllium free to move arsenic good arsenic goods.

Visa liberalisation, which is wrong Turkey’s way to EU accession, will still beryllium nan pivotal rumor for nan early of nan EU-Turkey relationship. For millions successful Turkey, nan imaginable of visa-free recreation to Europe is tantalizingly adjacent yet maddeningly beyond reach. Getting complete these obstacles to activity is critically important for individual travellers, and for wider Turkish/European Union relations arsenic well.