Negotiators from the European Parliament and the Council of the EU agreed Tuesday on a proposal for new rules to digitalize the Schengen visa procedures.
The regulation introduces the possibility to apply for a visa online and replaces the current visa sticker with a digital visa. The goal of the proposal is twofold: to make the visa application procedure more efficient and to improve the security of the Schengen area, said an EU statement today.
The rules – when finally adopted – will create an EU visa application platform. With a few exceptions, applications for Schengen visas will be made through this platform, a single website, which will forward them to the relevant national visa systems of the EU member states.
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at the consulate will in principle only be necessary for first-time applicants, persons whose biometric data are no longer valid and those with a new travel document.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 on the basis of the duration of stay.
However, the applicant will also have the possibility to indicate whether the application needs to be processed by a specific EU 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.
The agreement still needs to be approved by EU member states before the adoption process in the Council and the European Parliament can start.
The EU statement did not say when this will take place.
Today, 27 European countries issue visas for the passport-free- travel Schengen zone (as members of the Schengen area). They include 23 of the 27 EU member states, plus four non-EU countries Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
Bulgaria, Cyprus and Romania, where controls at the internal borders have not yet been lifted, and Ireland (not part of the Schengen area) do not issue Schengen visas, but only national visas.
Source: Kuwait News Agency