Under what conditions are Schengen short-stay student visas issued free of charge?
Recently, I applied for a Schengen short stay student visa (for visiting France) on an Indian passport. The local VFS website (whose link is given in the local consulate website) said that I needed to pay 60 euros as visa fees (plus service charges) and so I paid it. Here is the document where it says that short stay student visa application requires a fee.
But, while browsing, I stumbled upon a European regulation. The Article 16 of this regulation (which should be binding for France) says:
The visa fee shall be waived for applicants belonging to one of the following categories:... school pupils, students, postgraduate students and accompanying teachers who undertake stays for the purpose of study or educational training
So why was I required to pay this fee? It seems that everyone I know who applied for this visa were asked to pay their fees. Is there something fishy here? The purpose of my visit is clearly studies (or may be scientific research, since I'm a postgraduate student).
Best Answer
I do not know on what page of the website you found the link you quote stating short study visas have a fee, but I could not find such requirement on the vfs-france website. On the Visa Fees page, I can read:
... Student Long Stay : 50 EUR (3788 INR) ...
and no other fee for short stays. I double checked by looking at the French consulate in Montreal and on the page for student trainees, it states, in the fee section:
Application fees (non-refundable): the value of €99 in Canadian currency for long-stay visa, payable only by debit card, cash or money orders (exact amount) payable to “consulat de France à Montréal”.
It is clear to me that short-stay student visas actually are issued free of charge.
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Which Schengen country gives student visa easily?
In general, Lithuania is the easiest country to obtain a Schengen Visa from, with officials granting 98.7% of applications.Can I get Schengen Visa as a student?
You can apply for the Schengen study visa as long as you are not a citizen of the Schengen Zone and your home country has not signed a visa-free agreement with any of the member countries. So, if you are wondering if there is a Schengen Visa for Indian students, then the answer is yes.What is a short-stay Schengen Visa?
A short-stay Schengen visa lets you visit the Netherlands and other Schengen countries for a maximum of 90 days within a 180-day period. Your visa will be valid for a specific period. This period may be shorter than 90 days.How much is a short-stay Schengen Visa?
How much does the multiple-entry Schengen Visa cost? The fee for a multiple-entry visa is the same as an ordinary short-stay one (\u20ac80 or $90), even though it allows you to take multiple trips lasting fewer than 90 days for as long as the visa is valid (usually one, three, or five years).REASONS WHY SCHENGEN VISA APPLICATIONS GET REJECTED (Highly requested)
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