Planning to travel to Europe? Then your Schengen visa process will get easier, as from February 2 one can apply six months ahead of their travel dates. The validity of the Schengen visas will also be extended from one to five years for those with a positive history. But as the travel norms become a little relaxed, the fees for the same will rise by 20 euros. Currently, travellers can apply three months in advance. We give you more details about the new rules for the Schengen visa and revised fees. New Visa Rules for Indian Passport Holders Makes International Travel Lot Easier to These Countries!

In India, most travellers plan extensively for their summer vacations and European countries are a popular choice. Now, they can start planning their holidays almost six months in advance, thanks to the new rules. The European Union (EU) is easing the travel norms adopting the amendments to the Schengen visa code. As per EU spokesperson quoted to a report, "The amendments have been approved in a bid of the EU to improve conditions for legitimate travellers." If you have a previous Schengen visa and have been a legitimate traveller, then under the new improvisations, you could get an extended visa from one to five years.

New Fees of Schengen Visa

Under the new amendments, the visa fees have been raised from 60 euros to 80 euros. The fee for children group ie between the age of 6 to 12 will be increased from 35 euros to 40 euros. At present, 1 euro is equal to Rs. 78.75. So for an adult, the visa fees will be approximately Rs 6300 and that for a child will be around Rs 3,200.

The Schengen visa covers almost 26 countries including Switzerland, Germany, Greece, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Lithuania, Spain, France, Italy, Iceland, Sweden.

There are new rules about visas for different countries coming in every few months. As per Ludhiana police, those found to be violating traffic rules may not get approval for long-term visas to Canada and Australia. A lot of people from here apply for long-term visas and the countries of arrival seek details of offences committed by the applicant.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 27, 2020 05:56 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).