Khaberni - The European Union approved on Thursday a new package of measures to restructure visa policy, based on the complete digital transformation of travel procedures, and granting multiple entry visas with longer validity periods to trusted travelers. The measures will enable online applications, aiming to facilitate legitimate mobility, support economic activity, and enhance European competitiveness in an internationally competitive environment with increasing mobility.
The new measures establish a unified digital path for both visa-exempt travelers and those subject to visa requirements. Starting from the fourth quarter of 2026, the ETIAS system will be activated to simplify and automate part of the pre-travel checks for visa-exempt travelers, allowing for pre-trip assessments and enhancing the efficiency of managing travel flows to European Union countries.
Alongside this, the new digital measures will allow visa applicants subject to them to complete the entire application process online, including submitting and tracking the application electronically, in a fundamental shift aimed at reducing paperwork, speeding up transactions, and improving the clarity and predictability of procedures.
In the context of supporting legitimate economic movement, the package includes granting multiple entry visas with longer validity periods to trusted travelers, a step aimed at rewarding visitors with a proven record of compliance with travel rules, and stimulating repeated visits, especially for business, investment, and tourism purposes.
This measure is expected to boost economic exchange, facilitate the mobility of businesspeople and investors, and reduce the need for frequent visa applications, thereby enhancing the attractiveness of the European Union as an economic partner and business destination.
The measures also include the creation of a unified list of trusted companies, aiming to facilitate and accelerate visa procedures for businesspeople invited by accredited sponsoring entities.
This pathway targets reducing administrative burdens, unifying standards, and enhancing trust between the private sector and competent authorities, positively reflecting on the business environment and economic cooperation.
In parallel with updating short-term travel procedures, the European Union places special importance on attracting talents and skills, through an accompanying recommendation aimed at making Europe more attractive to highly qualified professionals with advanced skills, students, researchers, and innovative entrepreneurs, supporting the Union's competitiveness and strategic independence.
The recommendation encourages member states to adopt simpler and faster procedures for granting long-term visas and residence permits, through further digitization, reducing the number of required documents, shortening processing periods, and facilitating students' and researchers' transition to the labor market or entrepreneurship within the European Union.
These steps are part of a broader pathway to modernize European visa policy, balancing facilitation of legitimate travel with enhanced regulatory efficiency, and reflecting the European Union's direction towards employing modern digital tools to streamline procedures, support economic growth, and promote regulated openness to international partners in the face of increasing global mobility challenges.
