Schengen Visa Fees from India in 2026: What You Actually Pay, Beyond the €90

Start with what is fixed

The Schengen embassy fee is set in euros and is identical across all 29 member states. It does not matter whether you apply to Italy or Latvia — the government fee is the same. Children pay a reduced rate, and some categories are exempt.

Because it is set in euros, the rupee figure moves with the exchange rate. That is why we quote the euro amount and convert it live rather than printing a rupee number that will be wrong in a month. Our visa fee calculator does that conversion.

Where the costs actually differ

The VFS Global or BLS service charge is set per application centre, and this is what varies between countries and cities. On top of it, optional services stack up fast:

• Courier return of your passport — sensible, and chargeable
• SMS updates
• Premium lounge processing
• Form-filling assistance — which you are paying a consultant for anyway
• Photocopying and photographs at centre rates

None of these optional services affects your chances. A visa officer never sees whether you used the premium lounge. Buy them for convenience if you want convenience; do not buy them believing they help.

The costs outside the centre

Travel medical insurance is mandatory, with a minimum coverage level and validity for the whole stay across the whole area. Prices vary widely by provider and age — this is a real line item, not a formality.

Documentation costs — apostilles, translations where required, bank statements, employer letters.

Travel to the centre — for applicants outside metros this is often an overnight trip. From Punjab, the relevant centres are usually Chandigarh, Jalandhar or Delhi, and our appointment directory lists which centre serves your state.

The part people are not told

None of it is refunded if you are refused. Not the embassy fee, not the service charge, not the insurance premium, not the flight to Delhi.

The fee buys the consideration of your application. It does not buy the visa. Any agent implying that paying more improves your odds is describing something that does not exist — and it is exactly the promise the fraud operators make.

Funds you must show — not a fee, but a requirement

Separately from fees, you must demonstrate sufficient means for your trip. This money is not paid to anyone — it stays in your account, and it must look like it belongs there. Funds that appear a week before the application are the most common cause of refusal we see, ahead of any document problem.

Budgeting honestly

For a family application, multiply everything per person — fees, insurance, biometrics — and add the travel. Families routinely budget for one applicant then meet the real number at the counter.

We give every client the full figure, in writing, before anything is filed: government fees at cost, service charges at cost, and our fee stated separately. If a consultant will not itemise it that way, ask why.