EU announces major Schengen visa update

New laws are in the works to make it easier to apply for a Schengen visa, as well as remove the need for passport stickers and physical applications.

Instead, a digital system is planned. The plans would reduce costs for applicants and streamline the process.

European parliament Schengen visa vote

On Thursday, the European Parliament’s Civil Liberties Committee voted to endorse the agreement with the Council of the EU on digitalising visa procedures in the Schengen area, with 48 votes in favour, two against and no abstentions.

As well as the new law would streamlining the entire visa application procedures in the Schengen area by moving from physical visa stickers and applications to a digital system it would harmonise  the process throughout Europe, said the Committee in a statement.

Visa applications would be processed on a single online platform that would also tell applicants which country will receive their application in the case of multi-country trips.

The new system is also designed to work harmoniously with the EU’s ecosystem of border management systems and databases.

The full European Parliament will vote on approving the negotiation result at a future session.

Earlier this month, European Parliament member Matjaž Nemec said: “Digitalisation is the future of EU visa policy. With the new fully digitalised system and digital visas, applicants will benefit from easier, cheaper and faster EU visa procedures.

“Thanks to the European parliament, their data will also remain safe. Travelers will no longer apply for Swedish, French or Slovenian visas, but for an EU visa through an EU visa platform.

“The new single entry portal and e-visa uploaded to your smartphone also present an important building block of EU’s identity vis-a-vis the rest of the world and an important step towards the green transition.”

As reported previously, the long-awaited proposal aims to introduce the possibility of applying for a Schengen visa online, replacing the current visa sticker with a digital visa.

On the platform, applicants will be able to submit all relevant information, upload electronic copies of travel and supporting documents, and pay fees.

The platform will also notify applicants of the decision concerning their visa application.

The digitalisation of the Schengen visa procedure is expected to reduce the number of trips to consulates and make it easier for administrators to process applications