On the 18th of October, the European Parliament has voted by an overwhelming majority in favour of the digitalisation of entry visas to the Schengen area. The next and final step for this decision to be written in the Official Journal of the European Union will be to obtain the approval of the Council of Europe – this will take place on the 12th of November. Simultaneously, many Schengen states have tightened border controls in order to preserve the security of the area.
Digitalisation of entry visas
Once the draft has been validated by the Council of Europe, it will be incorporated into the law and will enter into force 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal, and must be applied compulsorily 7 years after the date of adoption of the text. Countries will therefore have 7 years to implement the new system at their own pace.
The aim is to simplify visa applications for the Schengen Area: please note that this procedure only concerns short-stay visas (C visas). For longer stays, the requested State will remain sovereign in its management and decision of the request.
Benefits for applicants….
The application would be made via a platform allowing applicants to submit their file online, which would ease the process and improve the security and reliability of the procedure. The idea is obviously to alleviate the complications and delays that C visa applicants are currently experiencing: between putting together a file that will be accepted, finding an appointment with the Consulate or the appropriate Visa Center hoping that the site does not bug while filing the request, having an appointment that is not 3 to 6 months later (which may currently be the case in some countries), showing up and potentially having to wait long hours before being received, then waiting for the application to be processed to possibly be refused, applying for a C visa can be a real obstacle course.
The aim is also to harmonise applications: for the time being, depending on the Schengen country in which the application is submitted, the list of documents and deadlines can vary greatly.
….and for countries
In addition to facilitating the applicant’s journey, this platform would ensure enhanced security of the data and documents provided and reduce the risk of data loss. In addition, the visas issued in this way will be much more difficult to forge, thus increasing the security of the Schengen area: they will be digital and equipped with an encrypted 2D barcode (QR Code).
The fact that applications will be digital in the future will also prevent the Consulate from having to manage the thousands of people who come every year to leave their biometric fingerprints, their files, etc. and their original passports. This is because the applicants will only have to present themselves when applying for a visa for the first time.
This platform still implies having access to the Internet, being able to pay online and being sufficiently informed about the right documents to be provided in order to have a positive response – conditions that will not necessarily be accessible to all citizens.
Etias in 2025
For citizens not needing a visa to enter the Schengen area, due to bilateral agreements between countries, don’t forget the ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System), the implementation of which is regularly postponed but which should arrive in 2025.
Find our article on this subject here: ETIAS: The European ESTA in 2023 – OUI Immigration (oui-immigration.com)
Strengthening border controls
Until these new systems are implemented, the Schengen area must adapt to geopolitical movements that may threaten its security.
Recently, several countries of the European Union have notified Brussels of the implementation of controls, or even the closure, of certain borders. This is only allowed in exceptional circumstances, as a last resort, and “must be limited to the bare minimum necessary to respond to a serious threat to public order or internal security,” according to the 2006 Schengen Borders Code.
This code is currently being reworked by the authorities of the European Union in order to better respond to today’s world, and to the regular requests from countries to close their borders or re-establish controls. The reasons can be multiple: recently, the Rugby World Cup in France, human trafficking, irregular immigration, terrorist threats / attacks or the situation in the Middle East are the reasons mentioned by France, Germany, Italy, Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Germany to close or re-establish controls at some of their borders.
Brussels also proposed on 18 October to strengthen the system of suspension of free entry into the EU. In concrete terms, this means that the EU will be able to temporarily stop the entry of visa-exempt nationalities (of which there are currently 60) in the event of abuse, a sudden influx of irregular migration or a security risk.
This duality in the current situation of the Schengen area is further proof that immigration and geopolitics are very often linked, and of the permanent efforts that the European Union must make to preserve its principle of freedom of movement, while protecting itself.
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