A suggestion to increase the basic fee for the Schengen visa this year has been put forward by the European Commission, which if given the green light, will increase the cost by 12% from €80 to €90 for adults and from €40 to €45 for children.
The EU also plans to further increase the fee for countries that demonstrate “insufficient cooperation on readmission of citizens”, which refers to accepting the re-entry of people who have been expelled by member states.
It is noted that the Schengen visa allows holders to travel freely in the 27 European countries for up to 90 days in a 180-day period.
The Schengen visa is required for citizens from non-EU countries who do not benefit from the 90-day EU and Schengen visa waiver rule. These include nationals of South Africa, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan and China.
The European Commission presented a plan on 2 February to increase the fee, following a meeting in December at which experts from member states endorsed the review by an “overwhelming majority”.
The initiative will be open for comments until 1 March. During this period, EU citizens can express their views on the issue and let it be known whether or not they support the idea.
The EU can then implement the changes 20 days after publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
According to the Commission, the proposed price increase is due to rising inflation in the EU.
It is noted that the EU reviews the Schengen visa fee every three years.
For countries that have not shown cooperation in readmitting citizens found to be illegally staying in the Schengen area, the cost will increase from €120 to €135 and from €160 to €180.
In addition, the Commission proposed to allow external Schengen visa providers to increase their service fees in line with the revision.
The maximum amount that external providers, such as visa offices, can charge is usually half the normal fee.
The Commission, as part of its proposal, suggests increasing this amount from €40 to €45. In contrast, the fee for the extension of the Schengen visa will remain stable at €30.
The EU has reiterated that it plans to introduce a digital Schengen visa, initially discussed in 2022, by 2028.
