News article by David Simões Fitas, Lawyer - International Atlantic Services

In the future, it will be easier for applicants to apply for the Schengen Visa since it will be possible to do it online.

These new changes, according to the European Union Council proposal, are intended to make the process more practical and improve the safety of the Schengen area.

A website will be created where all applications must be submitted. This new platform will allow applicants to upload every relevant information and documents online as well as pay the fees. Once the decision for the Schengen Visa is issued, the applicants will receive a notification from the platform. According to the Swedish Minister for Migration, Maria Malmer Stenergard, “Online applications will reduce the number of trips to the consulate for travellers and make the process smoother for national administrations. At the same time, the digital visa will put an end to the risk of falsification and theft of the visa sticker”.

Resulting from this new procedure, all new visas will be issued in a digital format, to prevent the counterfeit, the theft and loss of the Visas.

However, this new procedure won't be applied for first-time applicants or persons whose biometric data are no longer valid and for the ones with a new travel document.

Here’s the documents needed to apply for the Tourist Schengen Visa:

• Passport;
• Two recent photos;
• Roundtrip reservation;
• Proof of having booked a place to stay;
• Proof of having purchased EU travel health insurance;
• Proof of financial capability

Those are, without a doubt, good news for the applicants since it will reduce the need for traveling also easing up all the process.