Schengen visa system set for digital overhaul, eliminating passport stickers | World News

EU member states and lawmakers on Tuesday agreed on methods to change the present Schengen visa system so it turns into largely digital, without having to get a sticker in a passport.

The brand new regulation -- which can come into pressure as soon as formally adopted -- would enable most individuals needing a visa for visits to the European Union to use on-line, quite than turning up at a consulate or visa service workplace.

Candidates would discover the method "simpler, cheaper and sooner", the lead MEP on the problem, Matjaz Nemec, mentioned.

Sweden's Migration Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard, whose nation holds the rotating EU presidency, mentioned the change additionally "will increase the safety of the Schengen space by for instance lowering the chance of falsification and theft of the visa sticker".

The Schengen space encompasses virtually all 27 EU member international locations, besides Cyprus, Eire, Bulgaria and Romania. The latter two are supposed to be part of it sooner or later.

The European Union permits visa-free entry for residents from greater than 60 international locations outdoors the bloc.

In the intervening time, guests who do want a visa must acquire a Schengen sticker for his or her passport.

However with the institution of EU databases to assist monitor entries and exits, overstays and safety checks on the bloc's exterior borders, the visa system has marched steadily in the direction of digitalisation.

Some international locations, resembling Australia, have already got related techniques in place, the place the net visa is linked to a traveller's passport with out the necessity for a sticker in it.

Utilizing these techniques, candidates can add required paperwork and pay the processing charges.

Below the EU's incoming system, first-time candidates for a Schengen visa, or these with a brand new passport or modified biometric information should must attend an in-person appointment at a consulate or visa workplace.