Designer Federica Fragapane visualises the latest data on passport inequality, mapping rejection rates and the real cost of short-term visa applications to Europe from low and middle income countries.

In 2025, rejected Schengen visa applications cost applicants €157 million, up from €145 million in 2024 and €130 million in 2023. LAGO's latest analysis shows who is paying, how much and what it reveals about European foreign policy.

LAGO's analysis of UK and Schengen short-term visa applications reveals the scale of passport inequality, with full datasets available on rejection rates and the financial costs they impose.

How much is a €100 visa fee actually worth? Designer Federica Fragapane visualises how the same application fee translates into vastly different financial realities depending on where you live. Data credit: 'Our World in Data'.

Data artist Tiziana Alocci transforms the latest rejection rates for short-term visas to Europe into sound, making the weight of visa inequality something you don't just see, but hear.

Designer Federica Fragapane visualises the latest data on passport inequality, mapping rejection rates and the real cost of short-term visa applications to Europe from low and middle income countries.

The Schengen non-refundable visa fee is €80. Based on 2023 rejection rates, LAGO estimates €130M lost to rejected applications, 90% borne by low and middle-income countries: a reverse remittance.

The lower your country's income, the more likely your visa will be rejected. This visualisation maps short-term Schengen rejection rates, with African applicants bearing the heaviest burden.

In 2025, African applicants paid €63 million in non-refundable Schengen visa rejection fees. To understand the scale of that number, not as a comparison but as a question of proportion, LAGO places it next to three figures.