Application fee for Schengen visa that facilitates visit to 26 European countries falling under the 1985 Schengen Agreement is going to witness a hike from February 2, 2020, onwards. This is the first time since 2006 that the fee is seeing a rise. Read on for more details. By Kumar Shree
If you are planning a trip to any European country in the near future, this might be news of interest. Application fee for Schengen visa that cost 60 Euros currently will rise to 80 Euros soon. The hike will be applicable on travellers across the globe. However, those residing in countries with a visa facilitation agreement with the European Union (EU) will be exempted from the hike.
You should also know about the other changes that will come into effect from February 2, 2020. Application fee for children between six to 12 years of age will see a rise of 5 Euros and the updated fee for them would be 40 Euros. No application fee will be required for kids below six years of age. The application window will also be increased as one would now be able to apply up to six months prior to the trip. Earlier this window was of three months only.
A Schengen visa allows the holder to travel in 26 European countries that form the passport-free zone. These countries include Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Spain, and Switzerland. The Schengen visa allows a 90-day stay on it. This hike also aims at improving security detections and checking irregular migration risks. The application form has also been redesigned to make it easy-to-understand for applicants.
India was the third-largest country in terms of Schengen visa applications in 2018. It saw a whopping 10,81,359 applications made by Indians that year. Well, we are pretty sure this hike will not dampen that spirit.
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