A new era for Schengen visas begins.

Members of the European Parliament (EP) accepted the report on the digitization of Schengen visa applications.

The report, which was presented to the EP Committee on Civil Liberties and in which 34 deputies voted against 5, aims to streamline visa procedures and increase security by making visa applications digitally.

Within the legal process required for the digitization of visa applications, the Council of the EU, which is composed of representatives of the countries of the European Union (EU), the EU Commission and the EP must reach a conclusion through joint negotiations.

If the EU institutions agree, visas will no longer be printed in passports, but will be processed in the digital system.

It is planned to reduce visa application costs and procedures, receive applications on a single platform, integrate the system with EU border management systems and databases, prevent fraud and increase security thanks to visas. digital.

In addition, the presence of a multilingual option in the digital visa application system is also included in the report approved by parliament, thus avoiding the collective rejection of applications made from the same IP address. (AA)