Schengen visa fees hiked! Planning a trip to Europe? Check latest visa fees here

Schengen visa fee hiked! Planning a trip to Europe? It’s important to take note of the hike in Schengen visa fee. Starting from June 11, 2024, the will raise . The Slovenian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs verified that the cost for adult applicants will increase from €80 to €90, while fees for children aged six to twelve will rise from €40 to €45.

Moreover, countries not cooperating with the readmission of their irregularly staying citizens in the EU may face visa fees escalating to €135 or €180.

"The European Commission adopted a decision to increase short stay Schengen visa (visa type C) fees worldwide by 12 per cent. The increase will apply worldwide as of 11 June 2024," the Slovenian government said in a statement according to an ET report.

The Schengen Visa Code requires a review of every three years, with the last increase occurring in February 2020 when fees rose from €60 to €80. The EU attributes the current hike to inflation and civil servants' salaries.

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The decision has caused discontent, particularly among Turkish citizens who have been anticipating a visa-free agreement with the EU. In 2023, the Schengen Area received more than 10.3 million short-stay visa applications, representing a 37% increase from 2022 but still falling short of the 2019 peak of 17 million applications.

The Schengen area, a zone of free movement within Europe, comprises 29 countries, including 25 EU member states. The participating nations are Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland, Sweden, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.

In recent years, Indian citizens have demonstrated an increasing desire to explore Europe, as evidenced by the 43% surge in Schengen visa applications in 2023 compared to the previous year.

India secured the third position in terms of visa applications, with a total of 966,687 submissions. Chinese nationals claimed the top spot, filing 1.1 million applications, marking their return to the leading position since 2018. According to SchengenVisaInfo, Chinese nationals accounted for more than 10% of the total applications in 2023, followed by Turkish and Indian citizens.

To facilitate travel for Indian nationals, the European Commission has introduced a new visa "cascade" system. This initiative simplifies the process of obtaining multi-entry visas with extended validity periods.

Indian citizens residing in India who have lawfully used two visas within the past three years are now eligible for a two-year multi-entry visa. Subsequently, they can apply for a five-year visa, granting them the opportunity to stay for up to 90 days within any 180-day period.