What a France Schengen Visa Actually Costs an Indian Applicant
The headline fee is the easy part. The honest cost of a France visa from India is the fee plus the service charge plus insurance — and the far larger risk of paying it all and being refused.
In short
The France Schengen short-stay visa fee is EUR 90 for an adult, EUR 45 for children aged 6–11 and free under 6, unchanged since 11 June 2024. On top sits a VFS service charge of about ₹2,202 and mandatory insurance. Budget ₹10,500–22,800 all-in per adult, or roughly ₹42,000–48,000 for a family of four.
Reviewed 28 October 2026 · the EUR fee is set by the Schengen states and paid in rupees at the official chancellery rate on the day, which moves — confirm the day's rate and the current VFS charge before you pay
The France visa fee, line by line
What you actually hand over, split into the government fee, the VFS charge and the things people forget.
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Schengen visa fee — adult | EUR 90 | Short-stay tourist visa; unchanged since 11 June 2024 |
| Schengen visa fee — child 6–11 | EUR 45 | Half the adult fee |
| Schengen visa fee — under 6 | Free | No visa fee for young children |
| VFS Global service charge | ~₹2,202 | Per applicant; other sources cite ₹2,000–2,500 |
| Visa fee seen quoted in INR | ₹7,200 – 7,500 | The EUR 90 converted at a recent rate — treat as indicative |
| Travel insurance | Separate | Mandatory, minimum EUR 30,000 medical cover |
| Photos, courier, optional premium lounge | Add-ons | Small but real; the courier return saves a second trip |
Why we won't print one fixed rupee figure for the fee
Most pages that rank for this query do exactly what you should not: they pick a euro-to-rupee rate, multiply once, and publish a precise rupee number as if it were permanent. Six months later it is wrong, and the applicant who trusted it is short at the counter. France-Visas is explicit that fees are set in euros and collected in rupees at the official chancellery rate, which changes.
So we publish the euro fee, which is stable — EUR 90, EUR 45, free — and the rupee figures that have actually been observed at the counter, which is the VFS service charge of about ₹2,202 and a visa fee that has been quoted around ₹7,200 to ₹7,500. We do not pretend to a precision the exchange rate does not allow. When you book with us, we confirm the live rate the week of your appointment so there is no shortfall on the day.
The all-in cost, per adult and per family
The fee is only part of it. This is the realistic total once insurance, photos and courier are counted.
| Applicant | All-in cost | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| One adult — budget | ~₹10,500 | EUR 90 fee, ₹2,202 VFS, basic insurance, photos, self-collection |
| One adult — typical | ~₹14,400 | As above with fuller insurance cover and a courier return |
| One adult — premium | ~₹22,800 | Higher insurance, premium lounge and priority add-ons |
| Family of four | ₹42,000 – 48,000 | Two adults at EUR 90, children at EUR 45 or free, insurance for all |
The fee is the smallest risk. The refusal rate is the big one.
Here is the number that should shape how you think about the cost. India filed about 1.15 million Schengen visa applications in 2025, and roughly 181,000 of them did not result in a visa — a refusal rate of 15.8%, worse than the global average of 14.8%. Indian travellers lost an estimated ₹1.36 billion on failed Schengen applications in 2024 alone.
The visa fee is non-refundable. You pay EUR 90 whether you are approved or refused, and a refusal usually means paying it again to reapply — plus the insurance, the photos and, for anyone outside a visa-centre city, the travel to the appointment a second time. In that light the EUR 90 is trivial and the documentation is everything. The cheapest France visa is the one approved the first time, which is why the money that matters is spent on getting the financial evidence, the cover letter and the itinerary right rather than on the fee itself.
When you pay, and the rules around it
The fee is paid at your VFS appointment, not when you fill the France-Visas form online. Applications are accepted no earlier than six months before travel and must be lodged at least five days before departure, with processing commonly quoted at 15 to 30 days — so file roughly two to three months ahead. Biometrics are taken on the day, with applicants under 12 exempt. France runs 14 visa application centres across India, so where you pay depends on which centre serves your city. We check the file before you go, because the EUR 90 you are about to spend is only worth spending on an application that will clear.
Questions we answer daily
How much is the France visa fee for Indians in 2026?
The France Schengen short-stay visa fee is EUR 90 for an adult, EUR 45 for a child aged 6 to 11, and free for under-6s, unchanged since 11 June 2024. On top you pay a VFS Global service charge of about ₹2,202 per applicant. The EUR 90 has been seen quoted around ₹7,200 to ₹7,500 depending on the exchange rate.
Is the France visa fee refundable if the application is rejected?
No. The visa fee is non-refundable whether you are approved or refused, and reapplying means paying it again. This matters because India's refusal rate was 15.8% in 2025 — about 181,000 of 1.15 million applications failed — and Indian travellers lost an estimated ₹1.36 billion on failed Schengen applications in 2024.
What is the all-in France visa cost per adult?
Plan on roughly ₹10,500 all-in per adult at the budget end, ₹14,400 typically and ₹22,800 at the premium end. That covers the EUR 90 fee, the ₹2,202 VFS service charge, passport photos, travel insurance with EUR 30,000 medical cover, and a courier return of the passport. The fee itself is the smallest line in that total.
How much is the France visa for a family of four?
Budget roughly ₹42,000 to ₹48,000 all-in for a family of four. Two adults pay EUR 90 each; children aged 6 to 11 pay EUR 45 and under-6s are free. On top of the fees sit four VFS service charges of about ₹2,202 each, insurance with EUR 30,000 cover for every traveller, photos and courier.
Why does the France visa fee show as EUR 95 on some websites?
That figure comes from an old VFS India fee brochure dated May 2019, which listed EUR 95 plus a EUR 10.53 handling fee, EUR 3 ICWF and a EUR 0.84 card charge. That document is stale. The Schengen short-stay fee in force since 11 June 2024 is EUR 90, so EUR 95 is out of date — always confirm against current sources.
Do I pay the France visa fee in euros or rupees?
You pay in rupees. The fee is set in euros — EUR 90 for an adult — but collected in Indian rupees at the official chancellery rate on the day, which moves, so the exact rupee amount is not fixed. It has recently been quoted around ₹7,200 to ₹7,500. Confirm the day's rate before your appointment to avoid a shortfall.
Is travel insurance included in the France visa fee?
No. Travel insurance is separate from the visa fee and is mandatory: the policy must provide at least EUR 30,000 of medical cover for the whole Schengen stay. It is the line most first-time applicants forget to budget, and a missing or inadequate policy is one of the documentation failures that causes refusals.
When do I pay the France visa fee?
At your VFS appointment, not when you submit the France-Visas form online. Applications are accepted no earlier than six months before travel and at least five days before departure, and processing is commonly 15 to 30 days, so file two to three months ahead. Biometrics are taken on the day, with under-12s exempt.
Go deeper
- France Schengen visa from India The full application process
- Visa documents checklist What to carry, and why
- Visa rejection reasons Why the 15.8% are refused
- France trip cost from India The whole budget, not just the visa
- France from Chennai The visa centre in your city
- France from Bangalore Bengaluru has its own centre
- France from Coimbatore Applying from outside a centre city
- Contact Tamil, English or Hindi
Send your dates. We'll price the visa and the trip in rupees.
An all-in visa cost in ₹, a document check before your appointment, and a day-by-day France plan — on WhatsApp, from our Coimbatore office. Tamil, English or Hindi, 6 am to 11 pm.