UAE nationals who wish to travel to Schengen countries won’t need to schedule appointments, stand in queue or produce their passports for processing as the EU gets closer to digitising the permissions procedure.
The ambassadors of the EU member states endorsed the Council’s negotiating mandate for a plan to digitize the visa application process. It offers the option of applying for a visa online and substitutes a digital visa for the present sticker-style visa. It aims to increase the Schengen area’s security and streamline the visa application process.
“A digital Schengen visa will make it easier for legitimate travelers to apply and will at the same time contribute to making the Schengen area safer,” said Maria Malmer Stenergard, Sweden’s Minister for Migration. Travelers will make fewer journeys to the consulate due to online applications, and national governments will have a faster application procedure. The possibility of visa sticker theft and forgery will also be eliminated with the digital visa.
Visas will be issued in accordance with the new regulations in digital form as a 2D barcode that is cryptographically signed. By doing this, the security risks caused by stolen and fake visa stickers will be reduced.
