Kenyans among Non-EU Travelers set to Pay Higher Schengen Visa Fees

Schengen Visa fees increase

Schengen region countries in Europe are set to increase Visa fees with effect from February 1, 2020.  This decision has been informed by Schengen visa code changes and according to an official from the Dutch embassy travelers in need of a Schengen Visa will have to pay higher visa fees.

The Schengen region is made up of 26 countries including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, and Liechtenstein. Others are Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Passports of non-EU travelers entering the Schengen borders will no longer be stamped after 2022 because the new system will make passport stamps unnecessary as all exit and entry data will be registered. Applicants will be allowed to apply for visas of up to six months in advance.

“The Schengen visa fees are set to increase by 33.3 percent from Euros 60 to 80 when a new regulation comes into force in February. However, travelers will still not be allowed to file an application later than three months before their intended entry to the Schengen, except for justified individual cases, in which the consulate or the central authorities may allow the lodging of applications later than 15 calendar days.

“The new scheme of the European Union called Entry/Exit System (EES) will register entry and exit data and refusal of entry data of third-country nationals crossing the external borders of the Member States and determining the conditions for access to the EES for law enforcement purposes,” said the official.

Kenyan travelers will require the new East African Biometric Passport to apply for the Schengen Visa.