Issuing visas online: EU wants to abolish Schengen stickers in passports
Visa issuance online
EU wants to abolish Schengen stickers in passports
06/14/2023, 02:55 am
In the future, entry into the Schengen area should no longer require visits to the authorities. The EU wants to make visa applications online possible. In addition, digital entries are to replace the stickers in passports.
EU member states and the European Parliament have agreed to replace the sticker system in passports in favor of a digital solution for Schengen visas. MEP Matjaz Nemec said applicants would find the online procedure “simpler, cheaper and faster”. According to the plans, visitors who need a visa to enter the EU will be able to apply online and pay the fees online instead of having to go to a visa office or consulate in person.
Sweden’s Migration Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, said the change also increases the security of the Schengen area because the digital visa is harder to counterfeit or steal.
However, the new law has yet to be formally adopted. In addition, a personal appointment may still be necessary for initial applications, a new passport or changed biometric data even after the new regulations have come into force.
The Schengen area includes almost all 27 EU member states with the exception of Cyprus, Ireland, Bulgaria and Romania. The latter two are to be added in the future. Citizens from more than 60 countries outside the EU can already enter Germany without a visa – and vice versa. The others have had to apply for an entry visa at least 15 days before departure at the diplomatic mission of the main travel destination. This applies, for example, to citizens of Turkey, the whole of Africa and large parts of Asia. The visa facilitation agreement with Russia was suspended last year.
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