The Council and the European Parliament have agreed on new rules to make it possible to apply for Schengen visas online in the future. This means that visa applicants no longer have to first go to an embassy or a external service provider to travel.
Thanks to this modernization and digitalization, the old visa sticker will be replaced by a digital visa, making the process more efficient and secure for the Schengen area.
Member States still need to agree before these new rules become official, but they are not expected to cause any problems.
According to Maria Malmer Stenergard, the Swedish Minister of Migration, the digital visa makes applications easier, reduces administrative burdens and increases security by reducing the risk of forgery and theft of visa stickers.
EU visa application platform
There will be an EU visa application platform on which almost all... Apply for a Schengen visa must be submitted. This platform allows applicants to fill in their information, upload documents such as proof of medical insurance and pay visa fees. They can monitor progress and will also be notified whether their application has been approved. Only new applicants, people with outdated biometric data or a new travel document need to physically go to an embassy or a third-party service provider such as VFS Global.
The platform automatically determines which Schengen country will process the application based on the length of stay, but applicants can also choose a specific country.
Digital visas are issued as 2D barcodes with a secure digital signature, reducing the risk of forgery and theft of Schengen visas.
The ability to apply for a Schengen visa online is a major improvement for the citizen and for the processing of the application. It simplifies the application process for travelers while reducing the burden on national authorities, allowing them to respond more quickly and effectively. Fernando Grande-Marlaska Gómez, outgoing Minister of the Interior of Spain
Joint visa policy
The EU, and therefore also the Netherlands, has a joint visa policy for:
- Transit through or intended short stay in the territory of a Schengen State. A short stay is a stay of a maximum of 90 days per 180-day period.
- Transit through the international transit zones of airports of the Schengen countries.
Currently, 27 European countries (as members of the Schengen area) issue Schengen visas: 23 of the 27 EU member states and Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
Bulgaria, Cyprus and Romania, where internal border controls have not yet been lifted, and Ireland (which is not part of the Schengen area) do not issue Schengen visas, but only national visas.
Source: https://www.consilium.europa.eu/
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