The European Union Council gave the final nod to an updated Schengen Visa code and from January 2020 travellers in need of Schengen Visa will have to pay a higher visa fee.
Once the amended regulation comes into force the Schengen visa fees will increase for 33.3% from 60 euros to 80 euros. This is in accordance with EU Council.
The press release reads as – To ensure member states can better cover the costs of visa processing without constituting a deterrent for visa applicants, the visa fee will be increased to 80 euros. The regulation also introduces a mechanism for reviewing every three years whether the visa fee should change.
The new EU Visa regulation will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union this happens after the final adoption by the EU council today.
It will come into effect after six months and will be applicable to all third-country national requiring a Schengen zone.
In January 2020, third country nationals in need of a visa will need to pay 80 euros to apply in case the final text is published by the end of the month.
The European Commission proposed the amendments the last year to make travelling convenient to the Schengen countries.As per the new rules applications needs to be submitted for a maximum of 6 months and not later than 15 days before the trip.
Three months has been the maximum period so far, also the EU intends to introduce a harmonized approach to the issuing of multiple entry visas to regular travelers with a positive visa history for a period, which increases gradually from 1 to 5 years.
The new code will also contribute to the cooperation of third countries on readmission through the introduction of a new mechanism for using visa processing as leverage.
Tags: EU Council, Schengen visa
