Algeria Hikes Visa Fees for Schengen Citizens in Reciprocity Act ⋆

Algeria Hikes Visa Fees for Schengen Citizens in Reciprocity Act

Algeria has increased the price of short-term visa fees for the members of Schengen Zone as a reciprocity measure since the Schengen States have previously increased the price of short-term visas, according to their new rules.

The Algerian authorities have introduced an increase of 20 euros per visa application as a reciprocity measure. Citizens of Schengen Zone must now pay 105 euros when applying for an Algerian visa, while previously they needed to pay 85 euros, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

But the price of Algerian long-stay visas will not change. It will remain at €125, as it has been so far.

According to the new Schengen Visa rules that came into force on February 2, 2020, applicants who used to pay €60 to apply for a Schengen Visa now need to pay €80, while children from the age of 6 to 12 who had to pay €35 under the new rules now need to pay €40.

Nationals of countries that have an agreement with the European Union on visa facilitation procedures are not subject to the increased visa fees. They still need to pay only €35 per application.

The new rules for Schengen Visa that have pushed Algeria to apply the principle of reciprocity, in addition to increased visa fees, introduce several other changes, such as the possibility of getting a multiple-entry visa to the Schengen Area for frequent travellers.

Schengen visa multiple-entry permits their holders to travel to all the Schengen countries, as many times as they want, for 90 days, within 180 days.

To get a multiple entry visa to the Schengen Zone, travelers must fulfill some conditions, for example, to have a reason why they need to enter the Schengen Zone. The travellers also need to have a clean visa history, which means that if the applicant has overstayed illegally after the expiration date of the visa, it will be more difficult to gain a visa. Also, a clean criminal record for the applicants is needed.