Schengen visa fees could get an increase
The European Union says that they are planning to increase application fees for Schengen visas by as much as 12%. Here are the details…
TOURISTS COULD FORK OUT MORE MONEY
The Commission of the European Union (EU) has announced that they will be revising the cost of Schengen visa application fees.
According to Schengenvisa.info, the Commission has put forward that the fee for the Schengen visa application increases from €80 (R1 629,60) to €90 (R1 833,30) for adults and from €40 (R814,80) to €45 (R916,65) for children.
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The EU Commission held a meeting on the matter in December last year with experts from the Schengen member states, where the draft on reviewing the visa fee was discussed.
The Commission has also launched a feedback initiative open until 1 March, where citizens of the EU will be able to share their opinions on the matter, whether they support a visa fee increase or not.
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WHAT ARE SCHENGEN VISA APPLICATION FEES AND WHO HAS TO PAY THEM?
According to Schengenvisa.info, all visitors wishing to visit a Schengen area in Europe will need to pay a non-refundable administration fee when applying for their Schengen visa, in order for their visa application to be processed.
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South African citizens have to pay the fee in South African rands when submitting the visa application at the embassy/consulate of the Schengen country for which they’re applying to visit within South Africa.
They are liable to pay the fees whenever they apply for a short-term visa to any of the following European/Schengen countries:
- Austria
- Belgium
- Croatia
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
It’s also worth noting that these visa fee are non-refundable, whether you receive approval of the visa or not.
For more information, check here.