According to recent data shared by Lusa, the number of national visas granted to citizens of São Tomé and Príncipe fell by 16.6%, dropping from 9,000 in 2023 to 7,500 in 2024.
Conversely, the issuance of short-term visas, particularly for tourism and transit, saw an increase. The number of short-term visas rose by 5.89%, from 9,000 to 9,531.
Overall, the total number of Schengen visas issued saw a year-on-year increase of 5.6%, rising from 17,031 to 18,000.
Despite these changes, the Portuguese Embassy noted that 2024 saw the second-highest number of visas issued, following a record year in 2023. This trend suggests that visa issuance is on the rise.
The majority of visa applicants were young people of working age, with 55% of applicants being men and 45% women. São Tomé and Príncipe, a Central African nation and a member of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP), has a population of 231,856.
In 2024, São Tomé nationals submitted 9,582 Schengen visa applications, all of which were directed toward Portugal.
The approval rate for these visa applications was impressively high, with 9,242 out of 9,582 being approved, yielding a 96.5% success rate. Only 340 applications were rejected. However, very few multiple-entry visas were granted, with only 7% of the visas being multiple-entry, totaling 653 visas.
