November 14, 2023
1 min read

EU Council Approves Online Visa Platform for Travellers to Schengen Area

The new regulations will enter into force 20 days after their publication in the Official Journal of the EU, according to the Council…reports Asian Lite News

 Travellers from third countries who wish to visit the European Union’s (EU) border-free Schengen area will soon be able to apply for their visa online, as two new regulations have been adopted by the EU Council.

“The possibility of applying for a Schengen visa online will be a great improvement for citizens and for the processing of the applications,” Fernando Grande-Marlaska Gomez, Spain’s acting minister of interior, said.

“It will simplify the application process for travellers and at the same time will ease the burden on national administrations, which will be able to respond more quickly and effectively,” he added.

The two new regulations will create an EU visa application platform, where all relevant documents can be uploaded and visa fees be paid, Xinhua news agency reported.

However, in-person applications at consulates are still required for first-time applicants, people whose biometric data are no longer valid and people with new travel documents.

On the new platform, the current visa sticker will be replaced by a cryptographically signed barcode. This should reduce the security risks linked to counterfeit and stolen visa stickers.

In the context of the recent migration and security challenges, and the Covid-19 pandemic that considerably slowed down visa processing and created the need for more digital procedures, the European Commission submitted a legislative proposal in April 2022 aiming at digitalizing visa procedures.

The new regulations will enter into force 20 days after their publication in the Official Journal of the EU, according to the Council.

Once the technical work on the visa platform and the digital visa has been concluded, the date of application of the new rules will be decided, it added.

ALSO READ-Ukraine gets signal of EU membership talks next month

Previous Story

Four Lebanese Killed in Confrontations Between Hezbollah

Next Story

Festival Feast without Guilt

Latest from -Top News

Trump Warns Musk: ‘Close Shop or Go Home’

Trump’s warning on his Truth Social platform late on Tuesday (US time) came amid the feud between him and Musk over the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’….reports Asian Lite News Former US President

India-US Trade Deal Likely This Week

The interim trade deal would be an initial step towards a comprehensive bilateral free trade agreement between Indian and the US….reports Asian Lite News India is expected to finalise an interim trade

One Year Later, Hasina’s Son Raises Red Flag

Hasina’s abrupt exit last August after violent student protests was widely seen as a blow to democracy in the Muslim-majority nation of 170 million….reports Asian Lite News Sajeeb Wazed, son of former

Global South Finds Its Campus in India

The question is no longer if India can attract global talent, but whether it can build the conditions to do so at scale—with care and vision. Done right, India could emerge as

Jaishankar Gets Real on India-US Ties

The EAM underlined the structural drivers of the bilateral relationship, saying, “The trend line over the last 25 years has actually been very strong….reports Asian Lite News External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar
Go toTop

Don't Miss

EU Concerned Over Caribbean ‘Golden Passport’ Sale

Five Caribbean nations granted citizenship to 88,000 individuals from countries

Germany vax rate hits 71%

However, 21.7 million people remain unvaccinated, and no licensed vaccine