Bad news for travellers planning to visit Europe. The European Commission has recently announced that a surge of 12 percent in short-stay Schengen visa fees which will be effective from 11 June, reported ANI.
According to the report, the new hike announced will be applicable to Type C Schengen visas – allocated to travellers who are travelling for a short time.
Now as per the new charges, the cost for adult applicants will be Euro 90, up from the current Euro 80. While for children aged between 6 to below 12 years, the charges will increase from Euro 40 to Euro 45.
Under the Schengen visa, a traveller is allowed to travel across 27 European countries, including popular tourist destinations such as France, Germany, Italy, and Spain.
The following increase has been done aiming to align with the increasing costs of processing visas and maintaining the security of the Schengen area.
Earlier, the Schengen visa fees were revised in February 2020, when the adult visa fee was increased to Euro 80 from Euro 60.
That time, the European Commission justified the hike citing inflation and need to cover administrative costs associated with the visa process – inlcuding background checks, data processing, and maintaining secure entry systems.
The recent increases are the EC’s plan to to ensure that the costs of visa processing and security measures are adequately covered.
However, those from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Belarus will have to pay Euro 35, and applicants from Cabo Verde will pay Euro 60.
With agency inputs.
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