EU Weighs New Surcharge on Schengen Visa Fees: What It Could Mean for UAE Applicants

Quick answer: On 4 September 2026 the European Commission sent EU member states a discussion paper exploring a new “harmonised surcharge” on top of the current 90 euro Schengen visa fee. One scenario on the table is a 20 percent surcharge, about 18 euros, which would bring the total closer to 108 euros. Nothing has been decided. If you are applying soon, budget for the current 90 euro fee, confirm the exact amount with your consulate or visa centre before you pay, and do not delay your application while waiting to see what happens.

What actually happened

According to a note dated Friday, 4 September 2026, seen and reported by the Brussels policy outlet Agence Europe, the European Commission asked member states for their views on adding a harmonised surcharge to the standard Schengen short stay visa fee. The note is a discussion document, not a regulation and not a decision. It went to national governments for feedback, and the European Council would still need to agree on any change before it takes effect.

This comes only a few months after the fee itself already moved. Under the EU Visa Code, the European Commission reviews the visa fee every three years against euro area inflation and average public sector salaries across the Schengen area. That review pushed the adult fee from 80 euros to 90 euros, effective 11 June 2026. The new surcharge idea is a separate, additional step being discussed on top of that already higher fee.

Why the European Commission wants a surcharge

The Commission’s argument, according to the note, is that the current 90 euro fee is “relatively low compared to other jurisdictions.” It points to what other major destinations charge for a comparable visitor visa:

Destination	Approximate visitor visa fee
Schengen area (current)	90 euros
United States	About 162 euros
United Kingdom	About 158 euros
Australia	About 152 euros
Canada	About 115 euros

The Commission wants what it calls a “global level playing field,” pointing to how the ETIAS travel authorisation fee was raised in 2025 as a precedent. Under the scenario the note actually models, a 20 percent surcharge, about 18 euros on top of the 90 euro base, would raise roughly 187 million euros a year for the EU budget, based on the 12.2 million Schengen visa applications recorded in 2025. That money would go toward general EU revenue rather than the visa system itself.

What a 20 percent surcharge could look like

To be clear, this is one scenario the Commission is asking member states to react to, not a confirmed fee. If it were adopted at this level, the arithmetic would look roughly like this:

Applicant	Current fee	With a 20% surcharge (illustrative)
Adult	90 euros	About 108 euros
Child, 6 to 11 years	45 euros	About 54 euros
Child under 6	Free	Likely still free

The note also leaves open whether any surcharge would be a fixed amount or a percentage, and how it would be collected, including in the context of the new Common Visa Application Platform (EU-VAP), a digital, EU-wide application system that is due to enter service around 2030. None of that has been settled, so treat these figures as a planning reference only, not a published fee.

What this means for you as a UAE resident

If you live in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah or elsewhere in the UAE and you are planning a Schengen application through VFS Global or, for Spain, through BLS International, here is the practical takeaway. The fee you pay today is still 90 euros for an adult applicant, and that has not changed. There is no confirmed date for any surcharge, so do not delay a trip you have already planned in the hope of a lower price, and do not pay any agent who quotes you a higher figure by claiming the new fee is “already in effect.” It is not.

What is worth doing is keeping your documents ready and applying as early as your travel dates reasonably allow. Fee reviews like this tend to move slowly through EU institutions, but visa demand from the UAE keeps climbing every high season, and appointment slots, not fees, are usually the tighter constraint. Use our document checklist generator to see exactly what your consulate expects, and our visa cost calculator to budget for the current fee plus service charges before you book.

It is also worth remembering that Schengen is not the only destination where fees have moved this year. The UK visit visa fee went up in April 2026, Australia raised its visitor visa fee, and the US added a visa integrity fee on top of its regular charges. If your travel plans span more than one destination, check each country’s current fee separately rather than assuming they move together.

Fee changes affect every nationality equally, but the supporting document file a consulate expects can vary. If you are Nigerian or Jordanian and based in the UAE, our dedicated guides to Schengen visas for Nigerian citizens in the UAE and Schengen visas for Jordanian citizens in the UAE cover the specific documents worth preparing.

How Visa Doctor helps

Visa fees, surcharge proposals and appointment rules change often, and it is easy to end up applying with the wrong amount, the wrong form, or a document that a consulate now reads differently than it did last year. Our documentation team tracks these changes across Schengen, the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia so our clients are never caught out by a fee change or a new requirement. We check your file against the latest rules before you submit, so you pay the correct amount once, not twice.

If you are applying for a Schengen visa and want your documents checked before you pay any fee, our visa approval chance calculator and full visa tools are a good starting point, alongside a conversation with our team.

Frequently asked questions

Last reviewed September 2026. Visa rules, fees and processing times change frequently. Always confirm current requirements on the official government or consulate website before booking travel. Visa Doctor is a licensed private service provider (SPC Free Zone 4417571.01) and is not a government authority; we do not issue visas.