Visa fees rise on the back of rupee’s fall

The rupee's fall against the dollar will now mean that you spend more on foreign trips the moment you plan one. Some countries, including the US, have started raising their visa fees in recent days for this reason, and travel agents say other nations may follow suit.

ACox & Kings official said the US has raised visitor visa fee from Rs 10,800 to Rs 11,200; New Zealand from Rs 8,850 to Rs 9,500, and Dubai (UAE) from Rs 6,200 to Rs 6,300. While the range of visa fee increase by these countries is between 1.6% and 7.3%, families going abroad will now have to shell out more right from the time they start applying for visa.

A mail sent by Dubai Visa Processing Centre of VFS Global with Dubai Visa Fees, the world's largest outsourcing services specialist for governments and diplomatic missions, to travel agents says: "Please note that effective March 1, 2016, owing to the steep rise (read fall) in the INR (Indian rupee) against the USD (US $), we are forced to revise our visa fee."

Raksha Shetty of VFS Global's corporate communication said: "The visa fee rate for each diplomatic mission is aligned to the consular rate of exchange and differs from mission to mission... visa fees are defined purely at the prerogative of the concerned embassy...." A travel portal head said: "If the dollar keeps getting dearer, travel abroad, especially the west, will get affected.

It becomes a mental block with tourists that they will have to spend more on everything. As a thumb rule, the cost of packages rises by about half of the percentage fall of the rupee. So if the rupee falls 5%, package costs to the west will rise by 2.5%." A leading Delhi-based travel agent, who did not wish to be named, said many countries, especially in Europe, now treat visa fees collection from Indian visitors as a major revenue stream. "European countries give very date-specific visas.

[Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/Visa-fees-rise-on-the-back-of-rupees-fall/articleshow/51248488.cms]