How much is a Schengen visa from the UK?

The consulate fee is fixed at €90 for adults, €45 for children aged 6–12, and free for children under 6 — identical across all 29 member states. On top of that you pay the visa application centre's service fee (varies, typically tens of pounds), plus any optional extras you choose and mandatory travel insurance.

Why am I paying more than €90 for my Schengen visa?

The €90 is only the consulate visa fee. Most applications in the UK go through a visa application centre (VFS Global, TLScontact, BLS International or GVC World), which charges its own service fee for handling and biometrics. Optional extras like courier return, premium lounge, SMS updates and photos add more if you choose them.

Can I make the €90 Schengen visa fee cheaper?

No. The €90 consulate fee is set by EU rules and is the same everywhere; no agent or service can reduce or waive it for a standard applicant. You can only reduce the total by skipping optional centre extras you don't need — never by paying a third party who claims a discount.

Who is exempt from the Schengen visa fee?

Children under 6 pay nothing. Reduced or waived fees can apply to certain groups such as some students, researchers and family members of EU/EEA citizens. Exemptions are decided by the consulate, not the visa centre, so check the consulate's official page for your destination country.

Do I pay the Schengen visa fee to a third party?

No. You pay the consulate fee and the centre's service fee directly to the official visa application centre (or consulate) when you apply. Never pay a 'guaranteed approval' or discounted fee to an unofficial reseller — legitimate fees only go to the official channel.

Schengen Visa Fees from the UK Explained (2026 Costs)

TL;DR

A Schengen visa from the UK costs more than the headline €90. You pay a fixed €90 consulate fee (€45 for children 6–12, free under 6) that's identical across all 29 member states, plus the visa centre's service fee (varies, typically tens of pounds), plus any optional extras you choose, plus mandatory travel insurance. The €90 can't be made cheaper, and you only ever pay the official centre or consulate.

Schengen short-stay visa key facts, 2026
Schengen short-stay visa (Type C)	2026
Visa fee (adult)	€90
Visa fee (child 6–12)	€45
Visa fee (child under 6)	Free
Maximum stay	90 days in any rolling 180-day period
Standard processing	15 calendar days (up to 45 in some cases)
Travel insurance — minimum cover	€30,000
Passport	Issued within 10 years; valid 3+ months beyond your trip
Member states	29 countries

The fee and these rules are set EU-wide and are identical across all 29 member states. Source: European Commission. Verified 2026-05-01.

What does a Schengen visa actually cost from the UK?

There are up to four separate things you may pay. Only the first is fixed; the rest vary.

Cost	Who charges it	Amount	Mandatory?
Consulate visa fee	The destination country's consulate	€90 adult · €45 child 6–12 · free under 6	Yes
Service fee	Visa centre (VFS, TLScontact, BLS, GVC)	Varies — typically tens of pounds	Yes, if you apply via a centre
Optional extras	Visa centre	Varies per add-on	No
Travel insurance	Insurer	Varies — from a few pounds	Yes (separate requirement)

The fixed €90 consulate fee

The core visa fee is set by EU rules and is the same for every Schengen country: €90 for adults, €45 for children aged 6–12, and free for children under 6. It doesn't matter whether you apply for France, Spain, Germany or Greece — the consulate fee is identical.

This fee is usually charged in pounds at the consulate's exchange rate, so the exact GBP figure shifts slightly over time. Crucially, no one can make the €90 cheaper — it's fixed, and any service promising a "discount" on it is not legitimate.

The visa centre service fee

Most UK applicants don't go to the consulate directly — they apply through an outsourced visa application centre: VFS Global, TLScontact, BLS International or GVC World. These centres charge a service fee on top of the consulate fee for handling your application and taking your biometrics.

The service fee varies by operator and country and is typically tens of pounds. It's effectively mandatory if your country routes applications through a centre (almost all do).

Optional extras (you choose these)

Centres upsell a range of add-ons. They're genuinely optional — you can decline them:

Extra	What it's for
Premium / prime time lounge	Faster, quieter appointment
Courier return	Passport posted back instead of collection
Photo service	Compliant photos taken on site
Photocopying / printing	Document copies at the centre
SMS / email updates	Status notifications

Mandatory travel insurance

Separate from the visa fee, Schengen rules require travel medical insurance covering the whole area for your whole trip, with at least €30,000 in medical and repatriation cover. Cover for a short trip often starts at just a few pounds. See Schengen travel insurance for the spec.

Who's fee-exempt or reduced?

Children under 6 — free.
Children 6–12 — reduced to €45.
Certain students, researchers and family members of EU/EEA citizens may have reduced or waived fees.

Exemptions are decided by the consulate, not the visa centre — confirm on the official consulate page for your destination country.

Where the money goes (and a warning)

Keep your total down

You can't touch the €90, but a clean, complete application avoids re-submissions and on-site charges:

Checklist generator — a tailored document list so nothing's missing
Bundler — merge everything into one ordered PDF (no on-site printing)
Compressor — fit the centre's upload limit

Want a human eye before you pay and submit? See the done-for-you Schengen service. For the full overview, see the Schengen visa from the UK hub. If you're refused, the fee is generally not refundable — see Schengen visa refused from the UK.