Schengen visas for children from India: fees, fingerprints, consent, and travelling with one parent
Children's files fail on consent and on paperwork about the absent parent far more often than on money.
What the Visa Code fixes
- Fee: free under six (Article 16(4)(a)); EUR 45 from six to below twelve (Article 16(2)); EUR 90 from twelve; states may waive the fee for six-to-seventeen-year-olds (Article 16(5)(a)).
- Fingerprints: not taken from children under twelve (Article 13(7)(a)); a photograph is still entered in the VIS (Article 13(4)).
- Own application: every child, including infants, is a separate applicant with a separate form, passport, photograph and decision; the application form is signed by the person exercising parental authority.
- Everything else (purpose, accommodation, means, intention to leave) is assessed through the parents' file.
What consulates ask for
- The child's own passport (India does not add children to parents' passports).
- Birth certificate showing both parents.
- Where the child travels with one parent, or with neither, a signed consent from the non-travelling parent(s), usually notarised, with a copy of that parent's passport or identity document; where a parent has sole custody or is deceased, the court order or death certificate.
- School letter confirming enrolment and leave dates (a strong Article 14(1)(d) document for the family's return).
- The parents' financial evidence, since the child has none.
Travelling with a group or a school
Article 9(4)(c) lets an educational association lodge on behalf of its members; Article 16(4)(b) exempts pupils and accompanying teachers on study or training trips from the fee. The school's letter and the itinerary carry the purpose.
FAQ
Do children need a Schengen visa?
Yes. Every traveller who needs a visa needs their own, including infants; there are no family visas.
Do children pay the Schengen visa fee?
Under six: no. Six to eleven: EUR 45. Twelve and over: EUR 90 (Article 16 as amended by Regulation (EU) 2024/1415).
What if one parent is not travelling?
Consulates in India require a signed, usually notarised, consent from the non-travelling parent with identity proof; check the exact wording the state's checklist specifies.
Questions this page answers
Do children need a Schengen visa?
Yes. Every traveller who needs a visa needs their own, including infants; there are no family visas.
Do children pay the Schengen visa fee?
Under six: no. Six to eleven: EUR 45. Twelve and over: EUR 90 (Article 16 as amended by Regulation (EU) 2024/1415).
What if one parent is not travelling?
Consulates in India require a signed, usually notarised, consent from the non-travelling parent with identity proof; check the exact wording the state's checklist specifies.