Please register to access this content.
To continue viewing the content you love, please sign in or create a new account
Dismiss
This content is for our paying subscribers only

Business Travel & Tourism

EU to digitalise Schengen visa procedure

Under the proposed rule, visas will be issued in digital format, as a 2D barcode



In-person appearance at the consulate will only be necessary for first-time applicants, persons whose biometric data are no longer valid and those with a new travel document.
Image Credit: Shutterstock

Brussels: The EU member states’ ambassadors on Wednesday agreed the Council’s negotiating mandate for a proposal to digitalise the visa procedure. The proposal introduces the possibility to apply for a visa online and replaces the current visa sticker with a digital visa. It aims to make the visa application procedure more efficient and to improve the security of the Schengen area.

“A digital Schengen visa will make it easier for legitimate travellers to apply and will at the same time help make the Schengen area safer,” said Maria Malmer Stenergard, Swedish Minister for Migration. “Online applications will reduce the number of trips to the consulate for travellers and make the process smoother for national administrations.”

“At the same time, the digital visa will put an end to the risk of falsification and theft of the visa sticker.” She added that the proposed new rules will create a visa application platform.

Read more

All applications for Schengen visas will be made through this platform, a single website, which will forward them to the relevant national visa systems.

Advertisement

On this platform, visa applicants will be able to introduce all relevant data, upload electronic copies of their travel- and supporting documents, and pay their visa fees. They will also be notified of the decisions concerning their visa.

In-person appearance at the consulate will only be necessary for first-time applicants, persons whose biometric data are no longer valid and those with a new travel document.

When a person intends to visit several Schengen countries, the platform will automatically determine which one of them is responsible for examining the application based on the duration of stay. However, the applicant will also have the possibility to indicate whether the application needs to be processed by a specific member state according to the purpose of travel.

Under the proposed new rules, visas will be issued in digital format, as a 2D barcode, cryptographically signed. This will reduce security risks related to counterfeit and stolen visa stickers.

Advertisement