EUROPEAN COUNCIL GIVES GREEN LIGHT TO DIGITIZATION OF VISA PROCEDURE​

New rules adopted by the European Council will allow people planning to travel to the Schengen area to apply for a visa online. The Schengen area is an area made up of 27 European countries in which many of the internal border controls have been abolished.

Spain’s acting Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, said: “The possibility of applying for a Schengen visa online will be a great improvement for the citizen and for its processing. It will simplify the application process for travelers and, at the same time, ease the burden on national administrations, which will be able to respond more quickly and efficiently”.

The two Regulations adopted this Monday, November 13, 2023, will create an EU visa application platform through which Schengen visa applications can be submitted, with few exceptions.

Visa applicants will be able to enter all necessary information on the platform, as well as upload electronic copies of their travel documents and supporting documents and pay visa fees; they make it unnecessary to appear in person at the consulate, which, in principle, will only be required for those applying for a visa for the first time, whose biometric data is no longer valid or whose travel document is new; and finally, they replace the current visa sticker with a barcode with cryptographic signature.

NEXT STEPS

Once signed, both Regulations will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union and will enter into force 20 days after their publication. The date of application of the new rules will be decided when the technical development of the visa platform and the digital visa is completed.

This news was originally published in Aquí Europa.