- Germany maintains the adult Schengen visa fee at ninety euros for short stays following the 2024 increase.
- Children aged six to twelve are charged forty-five euros, while children under six remain exempt.
- Additional revenue will be reinvested into processing resources to help reduce appointment waiting times across the EU.
Germany continues to charge adults €90 for short-stay Schengen visas, a fee introduced across the Schengen Area on June 11, 2024, rather than a new increase taking effect on July 17, 2026.
The charge applies to Type C visas covering tourism, business trips and family visits. Holders can stay up to 90 days within a 180-day period across the 29 Schengen member states.
The German Federal Foreign Office says the adult rate rose from €80 to €90. Children aged 6 to under 12 pay €45, up from €40. Children under 6 remain exempt.
Free toolSchengen Short-Stay Visa CalculatorThe increase came through Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1415, which amended the EU Visa Code. The regulation raised the fees after the European Commission’s required three-year review.
The review uses objective criteria. Those include annual inflation across the euro area and average changes in civil servant salaries in EU member states.
The timing affects more than holiday budgets. Companies sending employees abroad must include the higher charge in the cost of international assignments and secondments, while families applying together face a larger combined bill.
The €90 charge covers travel across the Schengen Area
Applicants pay for permission to make a short visit, not for each country on their itinerary. A traveler visiting Germany, France and Italy under one eligible short-stay application remains within the same Schengen visa system.
The visa supports several common purposes. Tourism, business and family visits all fall within its scope.
The fee structure now stands as follows:
| Applicant | Current fee | Previous fee | Status since June 11, 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adults | €90 | €80 | Increased |
| Children aged 6 to under 12 | €45 | €40 | Increased |
| Children under 6 | Free | Free | Unchanged |
The adult increase equals €10, or 12.5% compared with the earlier €80 charge. A family’s total depends on how many applicants fall into each age group.
The Commission says the extra revenue will support processing
The European Commission said higher application income would help expand visa-processing resources, including staff. It expects that support to reduce appointment waiting times.
“The income generated through visa applications will be reinvested into making available more resources. This should decrease the waiting time for appointments.”
The statement came from the Commission’s Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs on June 13, 2024. The additional revenue therefore serves both as a fee increase and as a funding source for administrative capacity.
Appointment access remains part of the practical cost of applying. Travelers must still plan around the application process, not only the amount charged at submission.
Some applicants can face fees of €135 or €180
The standard €90 rate does not cover every nationality-related fee arrangement. The EU uses a higher tier for nationals of countries considered uncooperative in readmitting their citizens.
Applicants in that category can face a charge of €135 or €180, under communications from the EU Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs.
Those amounts represent a separate fee structure. They do not replace the standard adult rate for ordinary applications.
Visa-exempt travelers face a separate European charge later in 2026
The visa fee does not apply to travelers from visa-exempt countries who do not need a Schengen visa for the relevant short visit. Those travelers are expected to use the European Travel Information and Authorization System, known as ETIAS, when the system becomes mandatory.
The European Commission has confirmed an ETIAS fee of €20 for most adults. That amount is higher than the originally proposed €7.
The system is scheduled to become mandatory in the final quarter of 2026. Visa-exempt travelers will therefore encounter a separate authorization cost, while travelers who need a short-stay visa will continue to use the €90 adult fee structure.
The distinction is based on the traveler’s entry status. A visa applicant pays the Schengen visa fee; a visa-exempt visitor subject to ETIAS will pay the authorization fee once the system becomes mandatory.
The German department’s notice describes the current visa adjustment directly: “Since 11 June 2024, the fee for a Schengen visa has been increased to 90 euro. This adjustment was made following the revision of the visa fee which the Commission is required to carry out every three years.”
That review cycle leaves inflation and public-sector pay developments as the stated basis for future fee assessments. The Schengen visa fee is therefore tied to the EU’s periodic review mechanism, while ETIAS introduces a different payment requirement for another group of travelers.
