As of January 20, 2024, Kenyan passport holders will now require a transit visa in order to pass through Spain on their way to their final destination. The decision was announced on December 20, 2023, and has now become effective, as reported by SchengenVisaInfo.com.
The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that all ordinary Kenyan passport holders must have a valid airport transit visa (TAP Visa) to transit through Spanish airports. Additionally, Senegalese passport holders will also be subject to the same requirement starting from February 19, 2024, as announced by the Spanish Embassy in Senegal.
This new visa requirement follows a surge in the number of people claiming asylum at Madrid airport and complaints by police unions about the increasing number of Senegalese passport holders requesting asylum while on a layover in Madrid before continuing their journey to Brazil. Spain has seen a significant increase in international protection applications, making it the third country in the EU to receive the highest number of applications in 2023.
A Transit Schengen Visa is granted to travelers who only need to stop in a Schengen Area airport to take another flight to their non-Schengen destination. As per the Spanish list, aside from Kenya and Senegal, other countries requiring a transit visa to pass through Spain include Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Djibouti, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Haiti, India, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Turkey, Togo, Yemen, and Palestinians.
Spain, along with Czechia and France, now has one of the longest lists of countries with a transit visa requirement. With the addition of Kenya and Senegal, Spain’s list of countries now counts 23, making it essential for travelers from these countries to obtain a transit visa if passing through Spain on their journey.
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