Several Kuwaitis who had earlier traveled to European countries, especially France, for medical treatment and then left the country without paying their hospital bills, have now had their new application for a Schengen visa rejected.
Those who absconded without paying their bills were discovered when French hospitals were many of them had sought treatment approached Kuwait’s health office in France for payment, but was informed that the patients were not sent for treatment abroad officially, and therefore could not pay their bills.
Meanwhile, the European Union countries have started implementing a decision to increase the Schengen visa fees by 33.3 percent starting from February 2020, The new Schengen visa for adults will now cost between 60 and 80 Euros, depending on the type and period of stay of the visa. The visa fee for children from 6 years up to 12 years will also be raised from 35 to 40 Euros, while children up to 6 years and below will be exempted from fees.
The new procedures will allow visa applicants to submit applications for a period of up to 6 months, but no later than 15 days before the trip, to ensure that EU member states have enough time to process the papers. Also, starting from 21 February the new Electronic Visa Waiver (EVW) plan will be circulated to all countries that are exempt from the Schengen visa.