The Schengen visa allows visitors to travel among twenty six European countries on a single visa. Studies have shown that most travellers are lost due to tiresome visa procedures resulting in a huge lose to the economy. It is hoped that proposals to aid the process of acquiring visas will result in attracting more visitors and subsequently result in a huge boost to the economy.
Proposals include;
– Reducing the deadline from fifteen to ten days for processing and making a decision
– Simplifying the list of required supporting documentation
– Abolishing the requirement for travel insurance
– Allowing visa application to be lodged in other EU consulates if the member state capable for processing the visa application is neither present nor represented
– Simplifying the procedure for regular travellers to allow multiply entry visas valid for three years
– Simplifying the procedure for allowing online applications
– Possibility for visa’s to be granted for up to fifteen days at the border for member states
– Procedures for issuing of visa’s for attending major events
– Introduction of a Touring-visa allowing travellers to move around the Schengen area for up to one year without staying in one member state for more than ninety days in any one hundred and eighty days period.
These changes still need to be reviewed by the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament which is not expected until 2015.
