Switzerland Joins Greece, Austria, Germany, Netherlands, And France In Raising Schengen Visa Service Fees, Further Burdening Travelers With Higher Costs For Transitional Seasons To Europe 2025: Here’s Everything You Need To Know

Published on August 25, 2025

Switzerland has joined Greece, Austria, Germany, Netherlands, and France successful raising Schengen visa work fees, importantly expanding costs for travelers heading to Europe for some summertime and wintertime vacations successful 2025. The summation successful work payments is owed to operational costs increases for VFS Global, nan institution which processes nan Schengen visa applications, alongside inflation, operational costs increases, and nan depreciation of nan rupee against nan euro. Because of these changes, travelers are expected to incur further charges, pinch immoderate nations expanding fees by up 45%. This is peculiarly troublesome for Europe’s tourism manufacture since it is coming into nan highest recreation periods.

Indian Travelers Face Higher Schengen Visa Costs arsenic Service Fees Rise Across Europe

Traveling to Europe has go a much costly endeavor for Indian tourists, pinch caller hikes successful Schengen visa work charges importantly expanding nan wide cost. VFS Global, nan third-party agency that handles Schengen visa applications, has softly raised its work fees for aggregate European destinations. Countries for illustration Switzerland, Austria, and France person seen nan astir notable increases, pinch immoderate fees rising by arsenic overmuch arsenic 45%.

Schengen Visa Service Fee Hikes successful 2025

While nan existent Schengen visa interest remains unchanged—set astatine astir ₹8,000 to ₹10,000 for adults—the work charges imposed by VFS Global person seen a dependable increase. The latest adjustments for respective countries person caught nan attraction of Indian travelers readying their European holidays.

For instance, nan work interest for a Swiss visa has surged by 45% successful conscionable complete a year, jumping from ₹1,850 successful March 2024 to ₹2,680 successful July 2025. Similarly, Austria and France person raised their fees by 36% and 13%, respectively.

Here’s a breakdown of nan changes successful work fees for various Schengen countries:

Other countries specified arsenic Belgium, Iceland, Portugal, and Slovenia person besides adjusted their fees, pinch increases typically ranging betwixt ₹2,400 and ₹2,800. The increasing costs of applying for a Schengen visa adds a sizeable financial load for travelers, pinch nan full disbursal often surpassing ₹12,000 erstwhile factoring successful these work charges and optional extras.

Schengen Visa Fees and Extra Costs for Indian Applicants

For those applying for a Schengen visa, nan guidelines consular interest remains unchanged:

• Adults (12 years and above): €90 (approximately ₹8,800)
• Children (6 to 12 years): €45 (approximately ₹4,400)
• Children nether 6 years: Free

However, nan further work charges for VFS Global complicate nan costs further. Depending connected nan destination, nan work complaint tin scope betwixt ₹1,700 and ₹2,800. Moreover, optional services for illustration courier transportation and SMS updates tin further escalate nan full cost.

Examples of Extra Costs:

• Switzerland: ₹930 for courier + ₹450 for SMS
• France: ₹550 for courier + ₹240 for SMS
• Netherlands: ₹1,455 for courier

As a result, travelers whitethorn find themselves paying a hefty sum—easily complete ₹12,000 for a azygous visa application—when factoring successful nan work complaint and optional services.

Reasons Behind nan Fee Increase

VFS Global attributes these increases to respective cardinal factors:

1. Currency Exchange Rates: The work fees are group successful Euros, and nan rupee’s depreciation against nan euro has inflated costs for Indian applicants.
2. GST: The work interest includes an 18% Goods and Services Tax.
3. Varying Prices Based connected Agreements: VFS Global negotiates work charges based connected nan circumstantial agreements made pinch each country’s embassy.

A portion of their charismatic connection reads: “The work interest is wished by various factors, including expected volume, staffing, infrastructure, information needs, and rate speech rates. All fees are approved by nan respective governments.”

Are Extra Services Mandatory?

No, nan optional services for illustration courier transportation and SMS updates are not mandatory, but galore travelers opt for them for convenience, particularly erstwhile they cannot sojourn nan visa exertion halfway to cod their passports. VFS Global makes judge to pass applicants that these services are optional, allowing travelers to take whether aliases not to salary for them.

What is VFS Global?

VFS Global is simply a third-party work supplier that facilitates Schengen visa applications. While it doesn’t rumor visas, it plays a important domiciled successful nan exertion process by collecting documents, capturing biometrics, scheduling appointments, and acting arsenic an intermediary betwixt nan applicants and nan embassies. As embassies nary longer judge walk-in applications, going done VFS Global has go fundamentally mandatory for astir travelers.

Indian travelers should beryllium prepared for nan rising costs associated pinch obtaining a Schengen visa. What was erstwhile a ₹8,000 visa exertion tin now costs upwards of ₹12,000 erstwhile factoring successful work fees and optional services. For families and group travelers, these costs tin quickly adhd up.

Switzerland has joined Greece, Austria, Germany, Netherlands, and France successful raising Schengen visa work fees, driven by ostentation and nan depreciation of nan rupee against nan euro. These hikes make European recreation importantly much costly for some summertime and wintertime vacations successful 2025.

If you’re readying a European getaway, it’s advisable to support an oculus connected nan nonstop fees listed connected nan VFS website for your destination state and relationship for these further costs erstwhile budgeting for your trip.