Schengen visa for Indians: where to apply, fee, cascade

Indian citizens need a visa for the Schengen area. One short-stay visa covers all 29 countries. You apply to the embassy of the country where you will spend the most days, usually through VFS Global in India. The visa fee is €90 for an adult, paid in rupees, plus a service charge.

Indians who live in India also get their own ladder to long visas. Since a Commission decision of 18 April 2024, two lawfully used visas in three years can earn a two-year visa, normally followed by a five-year one.

Everything below was read on official EU and embassy pages on 18 October 2026. The general rules, which apply to everyone, are in our step-by-step Schengen application guide. This page covers what is different when you apply from India.

Which embassy you apply to

The European Commission’s rule is short. If you visit several countries, “apply at the consulate of the country where you will spend the longest time.” If the stays are equal, “apply at the consulate of the first country you will visit” (European Commission).

The German missions in India say the same: apply “at the representation of the country that is your main destination”. For equal days, apply to the country you enter first.

So eight days in Switzerland and four in France means you apply to Switzerland. Five days each in Germany and Italy, landing in Frankfurt, means Germany. Applying to the wrong country costs you time.

In India, most Schengen embassies do not take applications at the counter. Germany, Belgium and Italy all name VFS Global as the centre where you hand in your papers and give fingerprints. The centre takes the application. Only the embassy or consulate decides it.

The fee in rupees

The Schengen visa fee is set in euros:

Applicant	Fee
Adult	€90
Child aged 6 to 12	€45
Child under 6	Free

These figures are on the Commission’s page and on the German missions’ fee page, both read today. You pay in rupees. The German missions list the adult fee as INR 9,900 and the child fee as INR 5,000, marked “Subject to change without prior notice!” (india.diplo.de).

Other embassies convert at their own rate. Italy’s embassy warns that “the EUR-INR exchange rate is periodically adjusted,” so rupee fees “could vary over time” (ambnewdelhi.esteri.it). Belgium charges €90 in rupees at an exchange rate its embassy sets. Check the rupee figure on your embassy’s page the week you apply.

The visa fee is not refunded if you are refused. The German missions say so plainly.

The VFS service charge

On top of the visa fee, you pay the centre a service charge. It is the provider’s fee, not the embassy’s.

• Belgium states the amount: “a service fee of INR 2750/- (inclusive of taxes),” payable even by applicants who are exempt from the visa fee (embassy of Belgium).
• Germany does not print an amount on its fee page. It says the charge is non-refundable and that you pay it “already when booking the appointment.”
• Italy says you will be charged “the additional outsourcer’s service fee” but does not give a figure on its visa page.

We have not found the current service charge for Germany, Italy or France on an official embassy page, so we do not quote one. Our Schengen visa fee page explains the legal cap on it. Anything else the centre offers, such as courier or a lounge, is optional.

Appointments and when to apply

You can apply no earlier than six months before your trip and, as a rule, at least 15 days before it. That is the EU rule on the Commission’s page.

In practice, aim much earlier. The German missions’ FAQ, dated June 2026, says “all applicants need an appointment” and admits that “all available appointment slots are fully booked” at busy times. Their advice is to “apply at least three weeks before your intended travel dates” and as early as possible. Special appointments are “generally limited to compelling and unplanned medical and humanitarian reasons.” (india.diplo.de)

No embassy page we read gives a current waiting time in days. Book the slot as soon as you are inside the six-month window, especially for summer and Diwali travel.

Documents

The core list is the same for every applicant: a passport valid at least three months after you leave the Schengen area, the form, a photo, travel medical insurance and papers on the purpose of your trip. The general guide goes through them.

Points specific to India:

• Use your embassy’s checklist. Germany publishes one per purpose, such as tourism, business, trade fair or family visit. Bring the one for your trip, not a generic list.
• Insurance. Minimum cover is €30,000, valid for the whole Schengen area and the whole stay. German missions add that they accept Indian travel medical insurance “only from approved Indian Travel Insurance companies.” Check the approved list before you buy.
• Printed form. Germany asks for the signed online form with a clear printout of the barcode.
• Inviting family or a company? See what a visa invitation letter must say.

How long it takes

The EU norm is 15 calendar days. It can be extended “to up to 45 days” when a closer look is needed (Commission page). Italy says its decisions “are generally reached within 15 calendar days.”

One catch matters in India. Germany says “the 15 days start the moment the application reaches the visa section,” not the day you visit VFS. Transfer from a centre to the consulate in Mumbai “can take up to six working days.” Allow for that.

The cascade: two-year and five-year visas for Indians

On 18 April 2024 the European Commission adopted specific rules on multiple-entry visas for “Indian nationals residing in India who apply for Schengen (short-stay) visas in India.” The EU Delegation to India sets them out (EU Delegation to India):

You have	You can be issued
Obtained and lawfully used two visas within the previous three years	A multiple-entry visa valid for 2 years
A two-year visa	“Normally” a 5-year visa, “if the passport has sufficient validity remaining”

During those years, the Delegation says, holders “enjoy travel rights equivalent to visa-free nationals.” The visas are “not purpose-bound,” but “they do not grant the right to work.”

Three limits to keep in mind:

1. It applies to Indians who live in India and apply in India. Apply from Dubai or London and the local rules there apply instead.
2. It is not automatic. The embassy still checks that you meet the conditions.
3. A long visa is not a long stay. You still get 90 days in any 180. Our 90/180-day rule guide and the Schengen calculator show how to count.

At the border: EES

A visa gets you to the border. It is not the last check. The EU’s Entry/Exit System registers “non-EU nationals travelling for a short stay” each time they cross the external border, taking “fingerprints and captured facial images.” It became fully operational on 10 April 2026, and from that date it “replaces the stamping of passports” (European Commission).

So on an Indian passport, expect to be registered on your first entry, and expect no stamp. Our guide to EES and ETIAS explains what happens at the kiosk.

Checklist

• Count days per country and apply to your main destination. Equal days: the first country you enter.
• Book the VFS appointment early. Slots fill up, and Germany says to apply at least three weeks ahead.
• Budget €90 in rupees (Germany lists INR 9,900) plus the service charge (Belgium lists INR 2,750). Check both on your embassy’s page.
• Buy insurance of at least €30,000 from an insurer your embassy accepts.
• Use your embassy’s own checklist for your purpose of travel.
• Allow 15 days for a decision, counted from when the consulate receives the file.
• Keep old passports. Two used visas in three years can earn a two-year visa, then five.
• Expect EES registration, not a stamp, at the border.
• Start from your Indian passport page and check every figure on the official page.