Digital Schengen Visa: The Process And Its Benefits

Posted on: May 26, 2023 | | Written by:

Digital Schengen Visa: The Process And Its Benefits

Published on May 19, 2023. EST READ TIME: 3 minutes

The Schengen countries are some of the most beautiful and sought-after countries for a visit or a long-stay. It is no wonder then, that a lot of travellers and tourists find their way to the 27 countries year after year. Apart from promising visual spectacle, you will also take home some experiences that will remain with you for life. However, before you can embark on the journey, you must undergo the Schengen visa procedure.

And this is where the biggest change is going to be. Ambassadors of various European countries have given a green signal that will allow for negotiation for making the visa all digital. Should the negotiation bear positive results, travellers will be able to apply for a Schengen visa online. And the current sticker visa will be replaced by a 2D barcode.

All about Digital Schengen Visa

The digital process of the Schengen visa when approved will change the landscape of travelling to a large extent. Once the new rules come into play, a new platform will be provided for applicants. Applicants must provide their details in digital format on the platform, which includes travel documents and other necessary supporting documents.

Applicants must also pay the visa fees online to avail the digital variant of the Schengen visa. The platform will be able to identify the country that is responsible for accepting and processing your application without any intervention. However, you will also have the option to indicate the country that will process your application.

The new process will eliminate the need for visiting the consulate for visa-related activities to a substantial extent. Only first timers and people with no biometrics or invalid biometrics must visit the consulate. The online process will also inform applicants about the decision regarding their visa application, online.

Benefits of a digital visa for Schengen:

Once the entirely digital visa process is enabled, it will make way for a lot of conveniences and faster application processing. The following are some of the primary benefits of going all digital with Schengen visas.

1. Fewer visits to consulates

Applicants end up visiting the consulate either for visas or other visa-related queries a few times around. Once the digital visa is implemented, the need for visiting the consulate will reduce to a considerable extent.

Only first-time applicants or applicants whose biometric data is not valid anymore will have to visit a consulate for their visa-related processing. This seemingly simple step will eliminate a lot of hassles and make it much easier and faster for processing of the applications.

2. Reduce counterfeits

Counterfeit visas are another major concern that a lot of countries are having to deal with currently. Even though a lot of serious measures are being taken, miscreants still find a way to counterfeit visas.

However, with an all-digital visa, it will reduce the chances of such counterfeits. Once the process is implemented, the Schengen visa will be available as a 2D barcode that is cryptographically signed. The barcode will eliminate frauds and counterfeits visas and improve security to a large extent.

3. Faster processing

A lot of us might have faced delays in Schengen visa processing or have heard of someone in our circle whose visa processing took much longer than anticipated. Due to a large influx of new applications for processing, there has been a considerable rise in the number of pending visa applications for Schengen visas. When the all-digital visa comes into effect, it will make way for much faster processing of visas. And as a result, help reduce the already growing pending application queue.

4. Affordable processing

Another major reason for contemplating an all-digital procedure for the Schengen visa is to save money and effort that otherwise goes into processing the visas. As members of the European parliament met to speed up the process of visa applications and make it secure at the same time, 34 MEPs were in favour of a digital visa option for the Schengen counties, 20 MEPs abstained from it, while 5 opposed it.

Once in place, the process will make travelling to the Schengen countries even more accessible and less stressful due to faster visa processing. However, to make your journey even more stress-free, it is highly recommended that you opt for travel insurance for Schengen visa. An international travel insurance plan can safeguard you and your interests in a lot of possible ways.

The plan will compensate you if a flight is delayed or cancelled, if you have any medical emergencies, if you lose your travel documents, etc. Also, it is mandatory to get travel insurance for Schengen visa .

Conclusion

The new process of all-digital approval for Schengen visas will allow travellers to apply for a visa right from the comfort of their homes. Also, it will eliminate the need to visit a consulate for different visa-related activities. The new process aims to make visa processing much faster and reduce the ever-growing backlog of pending applications. Choosing the right international travel insurance will make your travel experience even better and less stressful.

Disclaimer: The above information is for illustrative purpose only. For more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before concluding the sales.

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