Kenyans to pay more for Schengen Visa
Kenyans applying for Schengen visas will be forced to dig deeper into their pockets as application fees will increase from February 2020.
This comes after the European Union Council adopted an updated Schengen Visa code that will see the current application fee for a Schengen visa increase by 33 percent.
SCHENGEN COUNTRIES
This means the fee will shoot to Sh9,060 (€80) from Sh6,795 (€60) beginning February 2020 after the amended regulation came into force.
The fees for applicants who are minors will increase to Sh4,530 (€40) from the Sh3,964 (€35) charged currently.
The new code extends the period for application from three months to six months in advance of a trip.
The Schengen Area is a zone comprising 26 European countries that have officially abolished all passport and all other types of border control at their mutual borders.
The area mostly functions as a single jurisdiction for international travel purposes, with a common visa policy.
The 26 Schengen countries are Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
E-PASSPORT
Last year, Schengen embassies and consulates in Kenya processed 38,503 visa applications, according to VisaInfo.com.
Out of the total applications, only 4,769 were rejected, representing an acceptance rate of 87.6 percent.
A majority (6,142) of the applications submitted in Kenya in 2018 were for Schengen visas to Germany, followed by France (5,059) and the Netherlands (4,406).
Last month, the Netherlands notified Kenyans that from December 1, anyone applying for a visa to their country will be required to have the new e-passport.
“As from 1st of December 2019, only the new East African Community biometric e-Passport can be accepted for Schengen visa applications,” the Netherlands said in a statement.
According to an official notification from the Kenyan government issued to all diplomatic missions, all Kenyan passports – except the new East African Community biometric e-passport – will be rendered invalid from March 1, 2020.