The European Union has made new amendments to the Schengen visa law for countries, in an attempt to make travel easier for the usual travel to the Schengen countries, noting that the new amendments will enter into force as of next February.
According to the official Schengen Visa Info website, a multi-entry visa will be granted to regular travelers with a positive history, to gradually increase the duration of the entry visa from one to 5 years, indicating that this will include travelers who visit the Schengen area frequently and have a positive record, This means that they have legally used their previous visas, they also have a good economic position in the country of origin, and a real intention to leave the territories of member states before the expiration of the visa they have requested.
The new procedures will allow visa applications to be submitted for a period of up to 6 months no later than 15 days before the trip, and to increase the visa fee from 60 to 80 euros to ensure that the costs of obtaining visas are better covered by EU member states.
The visa fee has also been increased from 35 euros to 40 euros for children from 6 to 12 years, while children up to 6 years are still exempt from visa fees, and the new travel insurance scheme is required as a condition for accepting applications.
The Schengen visa is one of the most famous visas in the world, giving its holder the ability to travel to 26 member countries, including 22 European Union countries, and the remaining four are Iceland, Switzerland, Norway and Liechtenstein.