Travelling to Europe is an incredible experience, but the visa process can be an inconvenience for some visitors. If you come from a country that is not on the visa-free list for the Schengen Area, you are required to fill in official documents and meet certain criteria to visit any one of the 27 European states that form the Schengen Area. But don’t worry, the European Parliament is about to make your life much easier!
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A Step Closer to Digitalising the Visa Process
The European Parliament has reached an agreement to digitalise the visa process, making it easier for legitimate travellers to apply and helping to make the Schengen area safer. Plans to digitalise the visa process are now a step closer to reality, after an agreement was reached in Brussels. The hope is it will reduce the effort and costs needed to complete an application.
You can check your visa eligibility on the official site here
Fewer Trips to the Consulate
This digitisation means that fewer travellers will need to go to an embassy, visa centre, or consulate to submit the required documents and application forms. Instead, travellers will just need to fill in an online application form and upload the Schengen visa required documents, including their scanned passport, recent photo, travel insurance, and other scanned documents. In-person appearances will only be necessary if you’re a first-time applicant or if your travel documents have expired.
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Issuing Visas in Digital Format
Under the proposed new rules, visas will be issued in digital format, as a 2D barcode, cryptographically signed. The digital visa will put an end to the risk of falsification and theft of the visa sticker. This is a significant step forward in improving the security of the visa process and ensuring that travellers can travel to Europe with peace of mind.
Price Remains the Same
The price for a Schengen visa – AED 317 will remain the same, meaning that you won’t have to worry about additional costs associated with this new system.
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Travel to 27 Schengen Countries
The 27 Schengen countries include Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
The proposed new digital visa system will make travelling to Europe much easier for those who have had to deal with the time-consuming and often frustrating visa process in the past. So, start planning your trip to Europe, and take advantage of this fantastic opportunity to make the visa process a breeze!
