What a Schengen visa refusal costs an Indian family: fee and non-refundables calculator
The visa fee is not refunded on refusal. This adds up what you would actually lose, so you can decide what to book refundable.
Why the fee is the floor, not the total
Article 16 of the Visa Code sets the visa fee at EUR 90 for adults and EUR 45 for children aged six to eleven since 11 June 2024 (Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1415); children under six pay nothing. Article 16(7) says the fee is not refundable except when an application is found inadmissible (Article 19(3)) or withdrawn before examination in the cases the Code lists. Article 17(4) caps the outsourcer's service fee at half the visa fee. Everything else you spent before the decision (insurance, tickets, hotels) is governed by the seller's refund policy, which is why refundable bookings are the single cheapest piece of visa insurance you can buy.
The year pages on this site apply the fee to the number of refusals to show what a country's refusals cost applicants in aggregate; the 2025 figure is on the 2025 page.
- Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 (Visa Code), consolidated text, Articles 16, 17(4), 19(3): https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:02009R0810-20200202
- Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1415 (visa fee EUR 90 / EUR 45): https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32024R1415
Questions this page answers
Is the Schengen visa fee refunded if my visa is refused?
No. Article 16(7) of the Visa Code says the fee is not refundable except in the cases in Articles 18(2) and 19(3), essentially where the application is inadmissible and never examined.
How much is the Schengen visa fee for Indians in 2026?
EUR 90 for applicants aged 12 and over, EUR 45 for children aged six to eleven, free under six, per Article 16 as amended by Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1415, applicable since 11 June 2024. It is charged in INR at a rate set under local Schengen cooperation.