Planning a Trip to Europe? The EU Just Updated the Visa Process, Here’s All You Need to Know!

All those who were finally waiting to check off Europe off their bucket list in 2020, here’s news! The EU has recently updated its Schengen Visa Code that came into effect on 2nd February 2020 with significant changes in the Schengen visa fee, the procedure for Multi-entry visas and more.

What has changed?

So if you’re planning to head to Europe this year, be prepared to shell out some extra bucks as the cost of applying for a Schengen visa hiked to 80 Euros (Rs. 6221.44) from 60 Euros (Rs. 4,666.08). There has also been an increment of the fee for children aged 6 to 12, from 35 to 40 euros. There will be no fee for infants and children below six years of age as earlier.

According to the officials, the increased visa fee will provide member states with additional financial resources to process visa applications quickly and more efficiently. Even after the increase, visa fee still remains low by international standards.

What you need to know?

Europe is a place that manages to sweep into the bucket list of every traveller and the much coveted Euro-Trip is a dream for many. But before the actual trip, the most important thing has to be obtaining a Visa. The EU has now defined the process for getting a 5-year multiple-entry visa to the EU countries.

While it was possible to obtain a multi-entry visa previously as well, the procedure for the same wasn’t as clearly defined. As per the updated code, which might just help you turn your dream Euro trip into reality more easily, frequent travellers with a positive visa history will be granted multiple-entry visa with a gradually increasing validity period from one year to a maximum of five years. The move not only provides more time but is also economically efficient for travellers.

Who’s eligible?

1. If an applicant has obtained and used three EU visas within two years, he/she can then obtain a multiple-entry visa valid for one year,

2. If an applicant has obtained and properly used a multiple-entry visa of one year then he/she would be eligible for a multiple-entry visa valid for two years, if applied within two years, and

3. If an applicant has obtained and used a multiple-entry visa of two years, he/she would be granted a multiple-entry visa valid for five years, if applied within three years.

There are obviously other factors like a valid reason, a clean visa history, no pending criminal records along with a valid traveler’s insurance, that will also come into play during the application.

Also, you can start applying for a schengen visa for your summer vacations already, as the time period between the visa application and the intended date of travel to Europe has been increased to six months from the earlier time period of three months.

Now that you’re all caught up, go ahead and plan your Euro-trip! Think we missed out on some updates, comment below or share them with everyone here on Tripoto and earn Tripoto Credits!

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