Introduction to apply for EU’s new digital Schengen visa
A decision made by EU foreign ministers will soon require applicants to submit their visa applications online in order to enter the Schengen area of Europe. A move to move the Schengen area visa application process online has been approved by the foreign ministers of the European Union. This shift to digitalization speeds up the application procedure and does away with appointments at consulates or service providers by removing the requirement for visa applicants to get a sticker in their passport.
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The new digital Schengen visa
The rules will digitize non-Schengen EU member states’ and citizens of third countries’ visa applications to enter the Schengen area. Legislators in the EU claim that this will expedite and lower the cost of visa applications while also improving security because the documents will be cryptographically authenticated and hence more difficult to falsify.
“In terms of digital visa procedures, Europe is currently trailing behind our peers. We will catch up with this change, and applicants will find the entire process cheaper and simpler,” said Matjaž Nemec (S&D), the MEP and rapporteur for the proposal, in a statement.
“The Swedish Minister of Migration, Maria Malmer Stenergard, claims that the digital visa simplifies applications, lessens administrative work, and boosts security by lowering the possibility of visa sticker theft and fraud.”
EU passport application portal
Nearly all applications for a Schengen visa must be submitted using an EU visa application platform. Applicants can pay for their visas, upload supporting documentation, and fill out their personal information on this portal. In addition to being able to track developments, they will be informed if their application is accepted. Only those who are new applicants, have biometric data that is out of date, or need a new travel document must physically visit an embassy or an outside service provider like VFS Global.
Based on the duration of stay, the platform automatically selects which Schengen nation will handle the application; however, applicants have the option to select a particular nation.
Schengen visa theft and forgery are less likely when digital visas are issued as 2D barcodes with a secure digital signature.
“For both the applicant and the application processing, the option to apply for a Schengen visa online is a significant advance. Travelers benefit from a streamlined application process, which also lessens the workload on national authorities, enabling them to act swiftly and efficiently. Fernando Grande-Marlaska Gómez, Spain’s departing Interior Minister”
How do you submit an e-visa application?
In the event of multi-country travel, applicants will be informed of the nation from which their application will be received through a single online platform. This platform will be used for application processing.
Following setup, the Schengen short-stay application process entails the submission of travel papers with biometric data online along with the payment of a charge.
- Database cross-checks are performed on approved applicants, who then get a digitally signed barcode that can be printed or stored digitally.
- For further verification, candidates who are applying for the first time, those with updated biometric data, or those with new passports might still need to have an in-person appointment.
- Certain nations, like Australia, have comparable systems in place already, wherein the online visa is connected to the traveler’s passport without requiring a sticker on it.
What else will be modified?
Every traveler entering the EU will have to pass through the EU Entry/Exit System, which is automated (EES). Along with a person’s biometric information and dates of entry and departure, the computerized EES will record that person’s details. Monitoring overstays and denied entries will be made easier with this.
Contributed Ankit Raj Sharma
Edited by Imtiaz