The European Commission has announced a 12% global increase to the short-stay Schengen visa fees, effective June 11.

Key Points:

• The European Commission stated the new Schengen visa fee will be 90 euros (about US$98) for adults and 45 euros for children aged 6 to below 12 years of age.
• The current visa application fees are currently set at 80 euros for adults and 40 euros for children aged 6 to below 12 years of age.

Additional Information: Under the EU visa code, countries in the Schengen area are authorized to modify visa fees every three years. In 2020, the price of an adult Schengen visa was increased from 60 euros to 80 euros.

BAL Analysis: The European Commission has stated that the increase is designed to align with the rising costs associated with processing visas, which include background checks, data processing and maintaining secure entry systems.