2026 Schengen Visa Fees: Why the Total Cost Differs by Country

Ask about Schengen visa costs and you’ll often see one figure quoted for Germany, another for France, another for Italy — as if each country set its own price for the same visa. The reality is simpler, and more useful to understand: the official visa fee itself is identical everywhere. What actually varies is something else entirely.

Why Does the Schengen Visa Fee Seem to Differ by Country?

The total cost of a Schengen visa application has two separate components: a fixed consulate fee, set at EU level and identical across every Schengen state, and a service fee charged by the application centre that handles submissions on that country’s behalf in Turkey — iDATA, VFS Global, Kosmos Vize, BLS International, or AS-Visa. The impression that fees “differ by country” comes almost entirely from this second component, not the visa fee itself.

The 2026 Consulate Fee: The Same Across Every Schengen State

Adult, Child, and Fee-Exempt Categories

Under the Visa Code (Regulation (EC) No 810/2009), the Schengen (Type C) visa fee was raised from €80 to €90 in a mandated three-year review in June 2024, and that figure still applies as of 2026:

• Adults: €90
• Children aged 6 to 12: €45
• Children under 6: free

This applies regardless of which Schengen country you’re applying to — Germany, France, Italy, Greece, or any other member state charges the identical fee, because it’s set by a shared EU regulation rather than by individual countries.

The Reduced Fee for Visa Facilitation Agreement Countries

Nationals of certain countries with which the EU has signed a visa facilitation agreement pay a reduced fee — for example, €35 for applicants from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Belarus. The exact reduced rate varies by agreement; Cabo Verde nationals pay €67.50. Most applicants going through Turkey fall outside these categories and pay the standard €90 fee.

The Real Variable: Application Centre Service Fees

Which Centre Handles Which Country’s Applications in Turkey

Most Schengen countries process applications in Turkey through an authorized application centre rather than the consulate directly. Per the EU Delegation to Türkiye’s current list, these centres are assigned as follows:

Country	Authorized Application Centre
Germany, Italy	iDATA
France, Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Croatia, Poland, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Bulgaria, Switzerland and others	VFS Global
Hungary	AS-Visa
Spain, Slovakia	BLS International
Greece	Kosmos Vize Hizmetleri
Romania, Portugal	No authorized centre — apply directly through the consulate

This table can change; confirm with the relevant consulate’s website before applying.

The Service Fee Has a Legal Cap

Application centres can’t charge whatever they like: Article 17 of the Visa Code caps an intermediary’s service fee at no more than half the consulate fee. For 2026, that puts the theoretical ceiling at €45, though in practice most centres charge well below it — typically €10 to €40. VFS Global’s own published fee table for Italy, for instance, lists its service fee at 384 Turkish lira (VAT included).

What You’ll Actually Pay, Country by Country

Combining both components, your total cost works out to roughly €90 plus whichever centre’s service fee applies:

• Through iDATA (Germany, Italy): €90 consulate fee + iDATA’s own service fee.
• Through VFS Global (most other countries, including France and the Netherlands): €90 + VFS’s fee, which varies by country.
• Through Kosmos Vize (Greece): €90 + Kosmos’s own service fee.
• Through BLS International (Spain, Slovakia): €90 + BLS’s own service fee.
• Directly at the consulate (Romania, Portugal): just €90 — no separate intermediary service fee applies.

Why Do Poland and Spain Charge in US Dollars?

There’s one notable exception to the euro-denominated fee: the Polish and Spanish consulates collect the Schengen visa fee in US dollars rather than euros. This doesn’t change the underlying fee amount — it only affects which currency you pay in, converted at the exchange rate in effect on the day you apply.

Costs Beyond the Visa Fee Itself

Beyond the consulate fee and the centre’s service fee, a few optional or situational costs can apply:

• Passport courier/return fee — if you’re applying from a city without a consulate (Bursa, Gaziantep, and Antalya, for example).
• Travel health insurance — a policy with at least €30,000 in coverage; we cover this in detail in Documents Required for a Schengen Visa.
• Photo service — if you don’t already have a compliant photo.
• Form-filling assistance — if you’d rather have centre staff complete your application form.
• VIP or expedited appointment service — optional, for an earlier slot or priority handling.

All of these are optional; none is required for your application to be accepted.

How and When You Pay, and What Happens if You’re Refused

Payment is usually collected in cash at the counter on your appointment day, when you submit your documents; some centres also accept card payment for their own service fee. Booking the appointment itself is always free.

Both the consulate fee and the application centre’s service fee are non-refundable regardless of the outcome — they cover the cost of processing your application, not the visa itself. We cover the most common refusal reasons in Why Are Schengen Visas Refused?

How Vizeyon Europe Can Help

We help you confirm which country and which application centre your submission goes through, and share the current fee and service-charge figures with you before your appointment — so nothing about the total cost comes as a surprise on the day.