People have to apply for visas for a particular country they chose to travel to, but when it comes to Europe, you only require a Schengen visa to make a journey to the member nations. However, the application process is a tedious one as it requires people to make several rounds to the consulate for verification of paper works and other formalities. Now, the EU member states have considered the council’s mandate for digitizing the procedure.
According to the press release shared by the Council of the European Union, the proposal entails the replacement of the currently used visa stickers with a digital version. They highlight the main goal behind putting forth the mandate is to make the entire process more efficient. The Swedish Minister for Migration, Maria Malmer Stenegard, in her statement, explained, “A digital Schengen visa will make it easier for legitimate travellers to apply and will at the same time help make the Schengen area safer. Online applications will reduce the number of trips to the consulate for travellers and make the process smoother for national administrations. At the same time, the digital visa will put an end to the risk of falsification and theft of the visa sticker.”
What are the perks?
I. Online Application process
The process is similar to any online application procedure. The council aims to create a single platform and website for the application for a Schengen visa which will be directed to the authorized national system. The travellers can upload all the required documents electronically and pay the fees, after which they’ll also be notified of the decision digitally.
II. Who has to follow the manual route
The rules indicated in-person appearance will only be required for first-time applicants or those whose biometrics has expired from the system. People submitting new documents will also need to pay a visit to the consulate.
III. Automatic system
For those who wish to visit multiple countries, the website will automatically decide which country is responsible for examining the process. The major factor that will contribute to the selection is the duration of the stay. But the applicants will be given the option to select if they want to process the application in a particular member state.
IV. 2D barcode
The digital visas will be issued with a 2D barcode with a cryptographical signature, which will lessen the risk of stolen visa stickers.
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