Proposal for a REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL amending Regulations (EC) No 767/2008, (EC) No 810/2009 and (EU) 2017/2226 of the European Parliament and of the Council, Council Regulations (EC) No 1683/95, (EC) No 333/2002, (EC) No 693/2003 and (EC) No 694/2003 and Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement, as regards the digitalisation of the visa procedure
Date: 2022-04-27
Institutions: Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, European Commission
Subjects: EU visa policy, Schengen Agreement, admission of aliens, border control, data processing, digitisation, exchange of information, external border of the EU, foreign national, information system

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 27.4.2022  COM(2022) 658 final 2022/0132 (COD)  Proposal for a REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL amending Regulations (EC) No 767/2008, (EC) No 810/2009 and (EU) 2017/2226 of the European Parliament and of the Council, Council Regulations (EC) No 1683/95, (EC) No 333/2002, (EC) No 693/2003 and (EC) No 694/2003 and Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement, as regards the digitalisation of the visa procedure {SEC(2022) 202 final} - {SWD(2022) 658 final} - {SWD(2022) 659 final}  
 
EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM 

1. 

• 

CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL 

Reasons for and objectives of the proposal 

The  EU  common  visa  policy  is  an  essential  element  in  ensuring  the  security  and  proper 
functioning  of  the  external  borders  of  the  Schengen  area.  It  facilitates  legitimate  stay  in  or 
transit through Schengen countries  and has  contributed to  the harmonisation of  the Member 
States visa issuing practices. To maintain a high level of internal security, safeguard the free 
movement of persons in the Schengen Area, and facilitate legitimate travel to the EU by third 
country  nationals  whilst  reducing  irregular  migration,  the  Member  States  are  currently 
working on improving the management of their common external borders.  

Since the entry into force of the Visa Code in  20101 and the start  of operations of the Visa 
Information  System  (VIS)  in  20112,  the  environment  in  which  the  visa  policy  operates  has 
changed considerably. On the one hand migration and security challenges  have increased in 
recent years; on the other significant technological developments provide new opportunities to 
make the Schengen visa application process smoother for both travellers and consulates.  

While visa processing is already partially digitalised, with applications and decisions recorded 
in the VIS, two important steps remain paper-based: the visa application process and the visa 
sticker.  These  two  steps  create  a  burden  for  all  stakeholders,  from  central  national  public 
authorities, i.e. ministries of home and foreign affairs, to consulates and applicants.  Member 
States are aware of this and a certain number of them have partially digitised their application 
process to make it more efficient and user-friendly. 

At  EU  level,  in  2017,  the  Estonian  Council  Presidency  opened  the  discussion  in  the  Visa 
Working Party of the Council3 on options to improve the current visa process with an online 
visa application4  and a  digital  visa.5  This  political  impetus,  together with  current  and future 
legislative  changes,  i.e.  the  revised  Visa  Code,6  the  VIS  revision,7  the  Entry/Exit  System 
(EES),8  and  the  European  Travel  Information  and  Authorisation  System  (ETIAS),9  led  the 

1 

2 

3 
4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

Regulation  (EC)  No  810/2009  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  13  July  2009 
establishing a Community Code on Visas (Visa Code) (OJ L 243, 15.9.2009, p. 1).  
Regulation (EC) No 767/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 July 2008 concerning 
the  Visa  Information  System  (VIS)  and  the  exchange  of  data  between  Member  States  on  short-stay 
visas (OJ L 218 13.8.2008, p. 60).  
https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/council-eu/preparatory-bodies/visa-working-party/  
Presidency Council of the European Union, e-Visa: Improving the current visa process with online visa 
application, 12546/17, October 2017  
Presidency Council of the European Union, e-Visa: Improving the current visa process with digital visa, 
11816/17; September 2017 
Regulation (EU) 2019/1155 amending Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 establishing a Community Code 
on Visas (Visa Code) (OJ L 188, 12.7.2019, p. 25). 
Regulation  (EU) 2021/1134 of the European Parliament and of the  Council of 7 July 2021 amending 
Regulations (EC) No 767/2008, (EC) No 810/2009, (EU) 2016/399, (EU) 2017/2226, (EU) 2018/1240, 
(EU) 2018/1860, (EU) 2018/1861, (EU) 2019/817 and (EU) 2019/1896 of the European Parliament and 
of  the  Council  and  repealing  Council  Decisions  2004/512/EC  and  2008/633/JHA,  for  the  purpose  of 
reforming the Visa Information System (OJ L 248, 13.7.2021, p. 11). 
Regulation (EU) No 2017/2226 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 November 2017 
establishing an Entry/Exit System (EES) to register entry and exit data and refusal of entry data of third 
country nationals crossing the external borders of the Member States and determining the conditions for 
access  to  the  EES  for  law  enforcement  purposes,  and  amending  the  Convention  implementing  the 

EN 

1 

  EN 

                                                 
 
Commission  to  issue  a  Communication  of  14  March  201810  on  adapting  the  common  visa 
policy to new challenges and to launch a reflection on the move towards digital visas. 

The  March  2018  Commission  communication  on  visa  policy  took  on  board  the  idea  of  “e-
visas”.  As  announced  in  this  Commission  communication,  a  feasibility  study  on  the 
digitalisation of visas procedures was carried out in 2019 and its results have been used in the 
context  of  the  impact  assessment  accompanying  this  proposal.  In  addition,  a  project  to 
develop an EU platform prototype was also carried out by the EU Agency for the Operational 
Management  of  Large-Scale  IT  Systems  in  the  Area  of  Freedom,  Security  and  Justice  (eu-
LISA)  in  2020-2021  in  close  coordination  with  the  Commission  and  Member  States.  The 
lessons  learnt  from  this  prototype  will  be  used  for  the  development  of  the  future  EU 
application platform.  

 When  revising  the  EU  Visa  Code  in  2019,  the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council 
explicitly  stated  the  aim  of  developing  a  common  solution  to  allow  Schengen  visa 
applications to be lodged online in the future, thereby making full use of the recent legal and 
technological  developments11. The COVID-19 pandemic, which led to  the  slowing down of 
Schengen visa operations worldwide partly due to the difficulty of receiving visa applicants in 
consulates  and  visa  application  centres,  prompted  Member  States  to  call  upon  the 
Commission  to  speed  up  work  on  digitalisation  of  visa  procedures.  The  New  Pact  on 
Migration and Asylum12 proposed by the Commission on 23 September 2020 set the objective 
of making the visa procedure fully digitalised by 2025, with the introduction of a digital visa 
and the ability to submit visa applications online. 

Nationals of 102 third countries are currently required to hold a valid visa in order to cross the 
EU external borders.13 Visas are issued by Member States through a network of consulates in 
third  countries.14  In  the  projections  used  in  the  impact  assessment  accompanying  this 

9 

10 

11 
12 

13 

14 

Schengen  Agreement  and  Regulations  (EC)  No  767/2008  and  (EU)  No  1077/2011  (OJ  L  327, 
9.12.2017, p. 20) (hereinafter: Entry/Exit System/EES). 
Regulation  (EU)  2018/1240  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  12  September  2018 
establishing  a  European  Travel  Information  and  Authorisation  System  (ETIAS)  and  amending 
Regulations  (EU)  No  1077/2011,  (EU)  No  515/2014,  (EU)  2016/399,  (EU)  2016/1624  and  (EU) 
2017/2226 (OJ L 236, 19.9.2018, p. 1) (hereinafter: ETIAS Regulation). 
Communication  from  the  Commission  to  the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council,  Adopting  the 
to  new  challenges,  COM(2018)  251  final,  https://ec.europa.eu/home-
common  visa  policy 
affairs/sites/default/files/what-we-do/policies/european-agenda-migration/20180314_communication-
commission-parliament-council-adapting-common-visa-policy-new-challenges_en.pdf.  
Recital 20 in Regulation (EU) 2019/1155. 
Communication  from  the  Commission  to  the  European  Parliament,  the  Council,  the  European 
Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions  on a New Pact on Migration and 
Asylum, 
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
COM(2020) 
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52020DC0609. 
Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 November 
2018  listing  the  third  countries  whose  nationals  must  be  in  possession  of  visas  when  crossing  the 
external borders and those whose nationals are exempt from that requirement (OJ L 303, 28.11.2018, p. 
39). 
Member  States  can  agree  bilaterally  to  be  represented  by  another  Member  State  in  a  third-county 
through representation agreements. This means that not all Member States have consulates in all visa-
required third countries. 

final, 

609 

EN 

2 

  EN 

                                                                                                                                                         
proposal15, the number of short-stay visas is expected to slightly increase until 2025 and then 
stabilise. 

By introducing the possibility for visa applicants to sign application forms electronically, the 
amended Visa Code16 has created the possibility for the digital submission and processing of 
visa applications;  however,  most Member States only digitalised parts of  the  short stay  visa 
process  and  still  rely  heavily  on  paper-based  procedures.  As  a  result,  the  degree  of 
digitalisation as well as the visa application process differs from one Member State to another.  

The current fragmentation in terms of national practices for managing the application process 
negatively  affects  the  functioning  of  the  EU  Visa  policy  applied  and  the  perception  of  the 
European  Union  as  a  single  geographical  entity  and  makes  the  visa  application  process 
burdensome for visa applicants  

Besides, since the current short-stay visas rules at EU level do not lay down any digitalisation 
obligation to Member States, the current paper-based procedures generate high management 
costs for Member States associated with handling paper applications. 

Furthermore,  the  physical  visa  sticker  is  prone  to  falsification  and  fraud  (e.g.  forgery  and 
counterfeiting)  and  can  be  stolen,  which  represents  a  security  risk.  The  visa  sticker  was 
introduced in 1995, and has been regularly updated to improve its security features ever since. 
The  most  recent  innovation  is  the  introduction  of  a  signed  2D-barcode  on  the  visa  sticker17 
which will enter into force on 1 May 202218. Nevertheless, the visa sticker is likely to remain 
vulnerable to counterfeiting or falsification.  

Another  risk  identified  in  relation  to  the  current  situation  is  the  risk  of  visa  shopping  by 
applicants. Heterogeneity in the way an application can be submitted can potentially create an 
incentive for visa applicants to choose to lodge an application at a Member State with a more 
digitalised application procedure, which would be different from the Member State that would 
otherwise be competent for the examination of the visa application. 

In  addition,  third  countries  that  compete  directly  with  the  EU  in  attracting  third  country 
visitors, such as Australia and New Zealand, already have fully digitalised processes in place 
for all foreign nationals  that are subject to visa requirements. Other countries (e.g. UK, US, 
Canada,  [Russia,]  India)  have  digitised  the  process  to  facilitate  visa-required  third  country 
nationals  from  certain  key  countries  in  quickly  and  easily  obtaining  an  electronic  travel 
authorization  instead  of  a  visa  for  certain  travel  purposes.  These  procedures  are  to  a  great 
extent  comparable  to  European  Travel  Information  and  Authorisation  System  (ETIAS).  In 

15 

16 

17 

18 

Study to assess the various options related to visa process digitalisation and to support the preparation 
of  an  impact  assessment  -  Final  Report  available:  https://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/study-assess-
various-options-related-visa-process-digitalisation-and-support-preparation-impact_en. 
Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 of the European Parliament and the Council of 13 July 2009 establishing 
a Community Code on Visas (Visa Code) (OJ L 243, 15.9.2009, p. 1) and Regulation (EU) 2019/1155 
of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  20  June  2019  amending  Regulation  (EC)  No 
810/2009 establishing a Community Code on Visas (Visa Code) (OJ L 188, 12.7.2019, p. 25). 
Regulation (EU) 2017/1370 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 July 2017 amending 
Council Regulation (EC) No 1683/95 laying down a uniform format for visas (OJ L 198, 28.7.2017, p. 
24). 
The  susceptibility  to  fraud  of  the  visa  sticker  is  substantiated  by  the  Commission’s  Implementing 
Decision  C(2020)  2672  of  30.4.2020  introducing  a  digital  seal  on  the  uniform  format  for  visas.  This 
implementing  decision  was  adopted  after  many  forgeries  of  the  new  visa  sticker  were  discovered  in 
Member States shortly after its introduction (December 2019). 

EN 

3 

  EN 

                                                 
comparison,  the  visa  application  procedure  to  visit  the  EU  is  quite  complex  and 
cumbersome19.  The  global  digitalisation  trend,  together  with  travellers’  expectations  for 
increasingly  fast,  modern  and  simple  procedures  could  leave  the  EU  lagging  behind  and 
provoke  economic  disadvantages  for  the  EU,  notably  for  the  EU  industry  as  international 
travels contribute positively to the EU GDP, in particular to the tourism industry. 

Consequently,  the  costs  of  non-action  at  EU  level  could  increase  over  time.  Without 
digitalisation,  Member  States  would  continue  to  face  a  heavy  administrative  burden  to 
manage visa processes, visa applicants would continue to undergo costly and time-consuming 
procedures and the risks attached to the security of the visa sticker would continue to exist.   

The  main  problems  identified  in  relation  to  Member  States’  authorities  dealing  with  visa 
application and visa issuing are:  

 

 

 

 

The  lengthy  process  and  accumulating  costs  for  consulates  to  manage,  process  and 
archive  (and  eventually  destroy)  paper  documents.  The  dependence  of  Member 
States  on  external  service  providers  to  fulfil  their  obligations  relating  to  visa 
management  in  a  context  of  an  increase  of  visa  applications  and  the  obligation  for 
third  country  nationals  to  visit  the  consulate  or  a  visa  application  centre  each  time 
they need to  apply.  On  average, 90% of short-stay  visas applications are submitted 
through  external  service  providers.  This  also  involves  large-scale  contracts  and 
monitoring costs and additional costs for visa applicants.  

The paper-based process is not threat or risk-proof. The COVID-19 pandemic had a 
substantial  impact  on  the  visa  procedure  as  it  systematically  requires  the  physical 
presence of the applicant at a consulate or an external service provider at key stages 
of the Schengen visa application procedure.  

The  physical  visa  sticker  is  prone  to  falsification  and  fraud  (e.g.  forgery  and 
counterfeiting), and it needs to be transported and securely stored.20 

Increased risk of visa shopping by applicants. Applicants might be tempted to apply 
for  a  visa  to  a  Member  State  that  offers  an  expeditious  visa  application  process 
instead of the Member State they actually want to visit. 

The current procedure is also complex and burdensome for visa applicants.  

 

 

19 

20 

Visa applicants have to travel to the nearest consulate or visa application centre for 
each application and leave the travel document behind, which makes it more difficult 
to identify oneself and to travel abroad during the application process.  

Frequent  travellers  need  to  repeat  the  same  lengthy  procedure  for  each  application, 
which may differ depending on the Member State of destination. 

For  instance,  a  2018  survey  by  the  European  Tourism  Association  estimated  that  the  current  visa 
process  is  putting  off  25%  of  Indian  travellers  considering  the  Schengen  area  as  a  travel  destination. 
This  would  therefore  confirm  that  some  visa-required  travellers  might  be  discouraged  to  travel  to  the 
EU because of visa requirements https://www.etoa.org/eu-schengen-visa-long-haul-markets/ 
The  susceptibility  to  fraud  of  the  visa  sticker  is  substantiated  by  the  Commission’s  Implementing 
Decision  C(2020)  2672  of  30.4.2020  introducing  a  digital  seal  on  the  uniform  format  for  visas.  This 
implementing  decision  was  adopted  after  many  forgeries  of  the  new  visa  sticker  were  discovered  in 
Member States shortly after its introduction (December 2019). 

EN 

4 

  EN 

                                                 
 

Applicants  also  pay  additional  fees  when  applying  through  an  external  service 
provider.  

The  root  causes  of  these  problems  are  the  legal  requirements  for  Member  States  to  issue  a 
paper  visa  sticker,  Member  States’  reliance  on  in-person  and  paper-based  practices,  and  the 
heterogeneous  level  of  digitalisation  and  fragmented  visa  procedures  across  the  Member 
States. 

Therefore,  the  digitalisation  of  visa  procedures  offers  an  opportunity  to  improve  the  visa 
application process, reducing the costs and the burden on stakeholders, while improving the 
security of the Schengen area. Moreover, the digitalisation of the visa process is in line with 
recent  legislative  developments21  relating  to  the  IT  landscape  for  border  management, 
contributing to enhanced security of the Schengen Area. 

• 

Consistency with existing policy provisions in the policy area 

The digitalisation of the visa application procedure and the implementation of a digital visa is 
consistent with several major developments in the field of visa and border policy:  

 

 

 

 

21 

22 

23 

24 

The revision of the Visa Code in 2020, which made it easier for regular travellers to 
apply for visas with a longer validity and allowed electronic visa applications (used 
by  a  few  Member  States)  and  electronic  signature  (not  used  by  Member  States  so 
far).  

The recently revised Visa Information System (VIS) Regulation22. 

The European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS)23, which is part 
of the Smart Border and interoperability framework and introduces an online travel 
authorisation  for  third  country  nationals  who  do  not  require  a  visa.  This  travel 
authorisation  differs  from  the  visa  procedure,  which  requires  submission  of  the 
biometrics and physical presence of applicants to mitigate the higher  migration and 
security risks of visa-required third countries.  

The  Entry-Exit  System  (EES),  which  will  be  operational  in  2022  and  will  require 
every traveller visiting the Schengen area for short stays to record his/her entry and 
exit at the external border crossing points allowing for the detection of overstayers24. 

Such as the Interoperability Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2019/818 of  the European Parliament and of 
the Council of 20 May 2019 on establishing a framework for interoperability between EU information 
systems in the field of police and judicial cooperation, asylum and migration and amending Regulations 
(EU) 2018/1726, (EU) 2018/1862 and (EU) 2019/816 (OJ L 135, 22.5.2019, p. 85). 
Regulation (EU) 2021/1134 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 July 2021. The revised 
VIS  regulation  will  allow  more  thorough  background  checks  on  visa  applicants,  close  security 
information  gaps  through  better  information  exchange  between  Member  States,  broaden  the  Visa 
Information  System  to  include  long-stay  visas  and  residence  permits,  and  will  allow  combatting 
abduction and trafficking of children by lowering the fingerprinting age  for minors. Together with the 
other new and upgraded information systems, the new Visa Information System should be operational 
and fully interoperable by the end of 2023. 
ETIAS  legal  basis:  Regulation  (EU)  2018/1240 of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  12 
September  2018  establishing  a  European  Travel  Information  and  Authorisation  System  (ETIAS)  and 
amending  Regulations  (EU)  No  1077/2011,  (EU)  No  515/2014,  (EU) 2016/399,  (EU) 2016/1624  and 
(EU) 2017/2226 (OJ L 236, 19.9.2018, p. 1).  
EES  will  be  interoperable  with  VIS  and  the  other  EU  information  systems  so  that  all  information  is 
cross-checked (e.g. the systems will provide information as to whether a visa holder has already a file in 
EES. 

EN 

5 

  EN 

                                                 
 

 

• 

This proposal is without prejudice to Directive 2004/38/EC25. The proposal does not 
in any respect amend Directive 2004/38. 

This  proposal  is  without  prejudice  to  Part  Two  of  the  EU-UK  Withdrawal 
Agreement26 . 

Consistency with other Union policies 

The  initiative  on  visa  digitalisation  is  included  in  the  Commission  Work  Programme  for 
202127  and  referred  to  in  the  New  Pact  on  Migration  and  Asylum,  as  noted  above.  The 
initiative  is  mentioned  in  the  Commission  communication  on  A  strategy  towards  a  fully 
functioning  and  resilient  Schengen  area28,  as  one  of  the  key  actions  announced  by  the 
Commission to improve external border management. 

The  initiative  also  fits  with  the  general  EU  approach  to  encourage  the  modernisation  and 
digitalisation  of  public  services  and  the  Commission  communication29  on  the  2030  Digital 
compass: the European way for the digital decade. 

2. 

• 

LEGAL BASIS, SUBSIDIARITY AND PROPORTIONALITY 

Legal basis 

The legal basis of the legislative initiative is Article 77(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of 
the  European  Union  (TFEU).  Article  77(2)(a)  TFEU  empowers  the  Union  to  develop 
measures  concerning  ‘the  common  policy  on  visas  and  other  short-stay  residence  permits’. 
Article 77(2)(b) TFEU empowers the Union to  develop  measures concerning ‘the  checks to 
which persons crossing external borders are subject. Article 79(2)(a) empowers the Union to 
develop  measures  concerning  ‘the  conditions  of  entry  and  residence,  and  standards  on  the 
issue  by  Member  States  of  long-term  visas  and  residence  permits’.  As  the  legal  instrument 
aims at  the digitalisation both  of short-stay and long-stay visas (only the  digital  visa format 
for the latter), a joint legal basis consisting of Articles 77(2) and 79(2) TFEU is needed.          

• 

Subsidiarity (for non-exclusive competence)  

The  current  disparities  between  Member  States’  visa  application  processes  and  different 
degrees of digitalisation show that the objective to make visa procedures more secure and fit 
for  the  digital  age  cannot  be  achieved  by  Member  States  acting  in  isolation.  The  further 
improvement of these common procedures requires EU action as most of the issues identified 
are  linked  to  EU  law.  The  problems  identified  above  are  unlikely  to  disappear  in  the  near 
future and are directly related to existing EU law provisions.  

25 

26 

27 

28 

29 

Directive 2004/38/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on the right of 
citizens  of  the  Union  and  their  family  members  to  move  and  reside  freely  within  the  territory  of  the 
Member  States  amending  Regulation  (EEC)  No  1612/68  and  repealing  Directives  64/221/EEC, 
68/360/EEC,  72/194/EEC,  73/148/EEC,  75/34/EEC,  75/35/EEC,  90/364/EEC,  90/365/EEC  and 
93/96/EEC (OJ L 158, 30.4.2004, p. 77). 
Agreement on the  withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the 
European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community (OJ L 29, 31.1.2020, p. 7). 
COM(2020) 690 final, Commission Work Programme 2021, A Union of vitality in a world of fragility, 
p.6.  
Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council "A strategy towards 
a fully functioning and resilient Schengen area", COM(2021) 277 final. 
COM(2021)  118  final,  Commission  communication  on  the  2030  Digital  Compass:  the  European  way 
for the Digital Decade. 

EN 

6 

  EN 

                                                 
This Regulation, is aiming at streamlining and harmonising the procedures in the context of 
the common visa policy and. In addition, the initiative is aligning travel,  entry  requirements 
and  border  checks  within  the  Schengen  area  through  digitalisation  and  the  interoperability 
framework at the borders. Therefore, the  amendments of the  relevant  parts of the Schengen 
acquis (primarily the Visa Code and the VIS regulation and other related legislative acts30) are 
only possible at Union level. 

By  reason  of  scale,  effects  and  impact  of  the  envisaged  actions,  the  objectives  can  only  be 
achieved efficiently and systematically at EU level. 

• 

Proportionality 

According to the principle of proportionality laid down in Article 5(4) TEU, there is a need to 
match  the  nature  and  intensity  of  a  given  measure  to  the  identified  problem.  All  problems 
addressed  in  this  legislative  initiative  call,  in  one  way  or  another,  for  EU-level  legislative 
action enabling Member States to tackle these problems effectively. 

The proposal envisages the mandatory replacement of the paper visa sticker with the  digital 
visa and a mandatory EU visa application platform, in which all Member States applying the 
Schengen acquis in full31 and Schengen associated countries32 would have to participate once 
the  system  starts  operation.  It  will  be  possible  for  Member  States  to  avail  themselves  of  an 
optional transition period.  

The proposal contributes to tackling the root causes of the current problems. It would put an 
end  to  the  fragmented  and  paper-based  visa  application  process  and  harmonise  the  current 
heterogeneous levels of digitalisation, while ensuring a high degree of security. 

This  would  not  go  beyond  what  is  necessary  to  achieve  the  objectives  explained  in  the 
previous sections.  

• 

Choice of the instrument 

The  objectives  of  this  proposal  can  be  achieved  by  a  legislative  act  that  will  modify  the 
existing  visa  procedures.  Therefore,  a  regulation  amending  Regulation  (EC)  No  767/2008, 
Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 and consequential amendments of other regulations is needed.  

30 

31 

32 

Namely  Regulation  (EU)  2017/2226  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council,    Council 
Regulation  (EC)  No  1683/95,  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No  333/2002,  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No 
693/2003,  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No  694/2003,  and  Convention  implementing  the  Schengen 
Agreement. 
With the exception of Ireland, which does not participate in the Union’s visa policy. As regards Cyprus, 
Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia, the provisions of this Regulation constitute provisions building upon, or 
otherwise relating to, the Schengen acquis within, respectively, the meaning of Article 3(2) of the 2003 
Act of Accession, Article 4(2) of the 2005 Act of Accession read in conjunction with Council Decision 
(EU) 2017/1908 and Article 4(2) of the 2011 Act of Accession. 
Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. 

EN 

7 

  EN 

                                                 
3. 

• 

RESULTS 
CONSULTATIONS AND IMPACT ASSESSMENTS 

EX-POST 

EVALUATIONS, 

OF 

STAKEHOLDER 

Stakeholder consultations 

All stakeholders expressed wide support for the  initiative, underlining the expected benefits 
and conveniences deriving from a modern, user-friendly digital solution, which is expected to 
facilitate administrative procedures.  

During  consultations,  all  Member  States  expressed  support  for  the  introduction  of  a  digital 
visa.  The  Member  States  also  support  the  extension  of  this  digitalisation  to  long-stay  visas. 
Regarding the EU online application platform, a number of Member States would favour the 
use of an EU application platform on a voluntary basis (Option 3, described below) whereas 
others  supported  the  mandatory  use  of  the  platform  with  a  transition  period  (Option  4, 
described below).  

The  Fundamental  Rights  Agency  as  well  as  national  data  protection  authorities  emphasised 
the  need  to  adhere  to  the  data  protection  principles  of  ‘purpose  limitation’  and  ‘data 
minimisation’  when  collecting  personal  data,  the  importance  of  clearly  defining  which 
authorities  have  access  to  which  data  and  the  need  for  the  digital  application  process  to  be 
accessible for people with disabilities.   

As  regards  the  different  policy  options,  national  data  protection  authorities  expressed  a 
preference for the development and building of an EU visa application platform, either on a 
voluntary or mandatory basis (options 3 and 4, respectively, described below).  

The Commission also consulted all relevant stakeholders, including the Fundamental Rights 
Agency, Europol,  the  European Data Protection  Supervisor (EDPS) as well as national  data 
protection  authorities  on  a  fully  digital  visa  application  procedure  which  would  have 
exempted  travellers  from  visiting  consulates  or  external  service  providers  to  submit  their 
biometrics (see Option 5 below). This was opposed by most stakeholders in particular due to 
the remote collection of biometrics. In general, the EDPS explained that the higher degree of 
digitalisation of the options, the greater the risks to data protection. The Commission took the 
feedback  of  the  EU  agencies  and  national  authorities  in  close  consideration,  including  as 
regards the concerns raised by the online collection of biometrics under Option 5. 

Frontex  indicated  that  the  introduction  of  a  digital  visa  would  be  welcome  as  it  will  make 
forging  visa  stickers  even  more  difficult  (no  more  “physical”  visa).  In  addition,  the  high 
operating costs of the visa sticker would disappear. 

Representatives  of  the  travel  and  tourism  industry  supported  unanimously  Option  4.  They 
highlighted that this would facilitate the application procedure for visa applicants, as well as 
the positive impact on travel to the EU and the increased attractiveness of the EU as a travel 
destination.  They  underlined  the  need  for  the  EU  to  offer  a  seamless  travel  experience 
equivalent  to  the  one  proposed  by  countries  like  Australia,  in  particular  towards  travellers 
from Asian countries subject to visa requirements. Whilst also showing an interest in Option 
5,  they  recognised  it  could  pose  security  challenges.  The  responding  business  organisations 
also  underlined  the  need  to  ensure  data  security,  and  to  envisage  a  transitional  period  to 
ensure  a  smooth  transition  from  paper-based  to  digital  solutions,  as  well  as  a  need  for  fall-
back solutions in case of technical issues.  

The results  of  a  public consultation held  from  March to  June 2021  also show a very strong 
support  for  the  digitalisation  process,  both  regarding  the  digital  visa  and  the  possibility  to 

EN 

8 

  EN 

apply  online  (515  responses).  Both  the  introduction  of  an  online  application  platform  and  a 
digital visa are seen as very positive developments which would facilitate the short-stay visa 
application procedure and traveling to the EU for visa holders.  

• 

Collection and use of expertise 

The Commission  contracted an external  consultant  to  conduct  a study  on the feasibility and 
implications of options to digitalise visa processing. The report was published in September 
2019 and is available online33. 

In  addition,  an  external  contractor  has  assisted  the  Commission  by  conducting  a  study 
including a detailed cost-benefit analysis of the different policy options, which supported the 
work  on  the  Impact  Assessment  report.  The  call  for  the  study  was  launched  in  December 
2020, following which two substantive bids were evaluated, leading to the award decision at 
the end of January 2021 to Deloitte.  

• 

Impact assessment 

In  line  with  its  “Better  Regulation”  policy,  the  Commission  conducted  an  Impact 
Assessment.34  The  Impact  Assessment  evaluated  five  policy  options,  with  varying  levels  of 
EU intervention in the current visa process: 

Option 1 considered as the baseline scenario: under the baseline scenario, no legislative action 
would  be  undertaken  at  EU  level.  Member  States  would  continue  (or  not)  to  develop  their 
national tool. The Commission would issue non-binding recommendations to Member States 
and support them with soft law measures.  

Option  2  includes  some  minimal  legislative  changes  at  European  level,  aiming  to  remove 
legal  obstacles  that  limit  the  possibility  for  Member  States  to  further  digitalise  the  visa 
application process. A mandatory digital visa would replace the paper visa sticker and a web 
service would be introduced to check its validity. 

Option 3 envisages the development and building of an EU visa application platform, albeit 
only on an opt-in basis. Member States could choose to participate in the EU visa application 
platform on a voluntary basis or develop, or continue to use, their own national platforms, or 
even not to develop any digital application solution. Visa holders would be able to check the 
validity  of  their  digital  visa  through  the  EU  visa  application  platform  depending  on  the 
Member State that issued the visa.  

Option 4 like Option 3, this option also includes the development of an EU visa application 
platform.  Whereas  participation  of  the  Member  States  to  the  EU  visa  application  platform 
would be optional under Option 3, under Option 4 the EU platform would be mandatory for 
every Member State after a transition period. Visa holders would be able to check the validity 
of their digital visa through the EU visa application platform.  

33 

34 

EN 

the  feasibility  and 

implications  of  options 

Study  on 
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/4cb4fbb8-4c82-11ea-b8b7-
01aa75ed71a1/language-en  
Study to assess the various options related to visa process digitalisation and to support the preparation of an impact assessment - 
Final  Report  available:  https://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/study-assess-various-options-related-visa-process-digitalisation-and-
support-preparation-impact_en. 

to  digitalise  visa  processing,  2019 

9 

  EN 

                                                 
Option 5  includes the full digitalisation of the EU visa application procedure on a mandatory 
basis and without a transition period.  Unlike all other options, the applicant would be able to 
enrol  his/her  biometric  data  through  a  digital  application,  removing  the  need  to  visit  the 
consulate or visa application centre in person which would still exist under all other options. 

Based on the findings of the Impact Assessment report, Option 4 is considered the preferred 
option  as  it  would  best  achieve  all  objectives  set  by  the  initiative.  Option  4  would  simplify 
and harmonise the visa application process, achieving reduction of the administrative burden 
for  Member  States  (estimated  at  EUR  510.9  million  over  the  2025-2029  period)  and 
applicants  and  would  contribute  to  increase  the  security  of  the  Schengen  visa  process.  It 
would  also  be  a  good  option  in  relation  with  other  criteria  such  as  data  protection  and 
fundamental rights.  

Option  4  implies  the  development  of  a  mandatory  EU  digital  visa  application  platform  for 
short-stay visas and mandates the use of the digital visa. A transition period would be planned 
to enable those Member States using or developing their own national visa platforms to phase 
out  their  national  solutions  and  join  the  EU  visa  application  platform,  thereby  minimizing 
possible  sunk  investment  costs.  Member  States  would  start  using  the  EU  visa  application 
gradually within the transition period.  

In  addition,  the  EU  visa  application  platform  would  rely  on  a  decentralised  storage  of 
applications  in  Member  States  national systems.  Consequently,  all Member States that have 
already  partially  digitalised  their  application  system  (e.g.  electronic  form)  should  be  able  to 
re-use the interface  used for transmitting the data in  the electronic  form  to  the national  visa 
system  used  for  processing  applications.  Member  States  that  also  have  a  solution  in  place 
whereby the entire application is digitalised may keep their current digital storage solutions.  
In addition to the lower risks for security or data protection, the decentralised storage  would 
allow mitigating sunk costs for Member States which have already invested in digitalisation 
and have set up the relevant storage capabilities. 

Under  this  option,  third  country  nationals  can  apply  for  a  short-stay  visa  online,  via  the 
application  platform.  However,  first-time  applicants,  repeat  applicants  every  five  years35, 
applicants travelling with children (to protect the interest of the child) and applicants who will 
be travelling on a different travel document than the one used for previous visa applications, 
would still  need to  present  themselves  to  the consulate or  visa application centre to  provide 
biometrics and for identification purposes, or provide additional information, when necessary. 

From the point of view of the security of the Schengen area, a digital visa application process 
handled via an EU visa application platform and relying on the digital visa would strengthen 
the security of the overall process, contribute to the security of the Schengen external borders, 
and  increase  trust  amongst  Member  States.  It  would  also  allow  for  the  partly  automated 
determination of the Member State which is competent for assessing the visa application, on 
the basis of the criteria of the Visa Code, thus significantly reducing the risk of visa shopping 

The digital  visa would considerably  reduce security  risks compared to  the visa sticker. This 
would be the case also in a fall-back scenario, i.e. where checks against the VIS and other EU 
information systems are technically not possible. It would not be possible to steal blank visas 

35 

According  to  the  applicable  rules  of  the  Visa  Code  (Regulation  (EC)  No  810/2009),  biometric  data  are,  in  principle,  to  be 
collected every 59 months, starting from the date of the first collection; otherwise they are copied from the previous application 

EN 

10 

  EN 

                                                 
stickers, as can be the case in Member States’ consulates today36. Option 4 will harmonise the 
formats  and  data  quality  of  supported  documents  uploaded  on  the  EU  application  platform 
which will provide additional safeguards regarding detection of forged documents 

• 

Regulatory fitness and simplification 

As  per  the  Commission’s  Regulatory  Fitness  and  Performance  Programme  (REFIT),  all 
initiatives aimed at changing existing EU legislation should aim to simplify and deliver stated 
policy objectives more efficiently (i.e. by reducing unnecessary regulatory costs). While this 
initiative has not been subject to the REFIT initiative, it will significantly reduce the overall 
administrative  costs  of  Member  States  to  manage  visa  applications,  as  demonstrated  by  the 
Impact Assessment. 

• 

Fundamental rights 

This  legislative  initiative  puts  a  particular  focus  on  the  need  to  ensure  full  compliance  with 
fundamental rights as enshrined in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.  

Visa applicants with reduced mobility would increasingly benefit from the less frequent need 
to  visit  a  consulate  or  a  visa  application  centre.  On  the  other  hand,  certain  categories  of 
applicants  would  still  be  able  to  apply  at  a  consulate  or  a  visa  application  centre  if  the 
assistance provided by the EU visa application platform, or by service providers and family or 
friends, is not sufficient37.  

Applying  online  is  likely  to  improve  the  experience  of  applying  for  a  visa  for  people  with 
impaired vision. Digital application platforms, either at EU or national level, have to comply 
with  the  Accessibility  Directive38,  under  which  Member  States  have  to  ensure  that  ‘public 
sector  bodies  take  the  necessary  measures  to  make  their  websites  and  mobile  applications 
more accessible by making them perceivable, operable, understandable and robust’. Websites 
should therefore  allow  users to  change  how the information  is  displayed  (font  size, colours, 
etc.) and could also offer audio assistance (reading out texts). This would not be possible, or it 
would  be  to  a  lesser  extent,  with  a  paper-based  application  process.  In  addition,  it  would 
guarantee  high  accessibility  to  people  unable  to  see  or  hear,  because  the  standards  and 
features embedded in the EU application platform would be applied by all countries.  

The special provisions which would be applicable to individual cases because of humanitarian 
reasons  would  also  apply  to  people  with  lower  IT  literacy  who  would  require  technical 
assistance. Nevertheless, digital accessibility issues will gradually decline over time due to the 
global increase of IT literacy. 

As  to  the  rights  of  the  child,  the  applicable  legislative  regime  which  guarantees  the  on-site 
process  for  children  would  remain  in  place.  The  revised  VIS  Regulation  already  introduced 

36 

37 

38 

Member States are obliged under the Visa Code to report to the Commission on any significant loss of blank visas stickers. (Art 
37 (2). 
This  has  been  factored  in  the  calculation  of  costs  and  benefits,  assuming  that  3%  of  the  applications 
would still be made through paper applications. This would concern applicants who cannot apply online 
or  applicants  that  are  required  to  provide  paper  supporting  documents.  Given  the  applying  through 
digital means will be far easier than through paper at the consulate, the percentage will be very low. 
Directive (EU) 2016/2102 of the European Parliament and  of the Council of 26 October 2016 on the 
accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies (OJ L 327, 2.12.2016, p. 1–
15). 

EN 

11 

  EN 

                                                 
 
changes  aiming  particularly  to  strengthen  the  fight  against  the  abuse  of  children’s  rights  by 
lowering  the  fingerprinting  age  (from  12  to  6  years),  but  also  imposing  strict  safeguards  to 
biometric data of children, in particular by limiting the storage period of the data: fingerprints 
and  facial  images  pertaining  to  children  below  the  age  of  12  will  be  erased  upon  the  visa 
having  expired  and  the  child  having  exited  the  external  borders.  For  repeat  applicants  with 
children, a new repeat application will necessitate another on-site procedure in all such cases. 

The role of external service providers in the context of digitalisation would depend on which 
tasks Member States would outsource to them in the new digitalisation context, when allowed 
by  the  legislative  framework.  A  large  part  of  administrative  tasks  currently  entrusted  to 
external  service  providers  would  no  longer  be  necessary  with  digital  procedures  (such  as 
inserting information from the physical application form into digital form). In the short term, 
the  role  of  external  service  providers  in  providing  general  assistance  to  the  applicant  might 
increase (e.g. assistance to people without IT literacy). However, in the long term, their role 
with regards to the collection of applications should decrease because repeat applicants who 
have  valid  biometrics  already  enrolled  would  be  able  to  apply  fully  online.  From  a  data 
protection point of view, the use of  external  service providers entails  de facto  an  additional 
exposure  of  personal  data  to  third-parties.  This  does  not  pose  a  threat  to  data  protection  as 
long  as  processes  and  technologies  used  by  external  service  providers  comply  with  data 
protection  and  privacy  enhancing  principles  and  that  proper  monitoring  of  each  external 
service provider is carried out by Member States authorities. 

As pointed out by the EDPS, the data protection impact of the initiative is primarily stemming 
from  the  introduction  of  a  visa  application  platform  (with  an  impact  on  the  handling  of 
personal data by external service providers, data security of the platform). In that regard, the 
analysis  of  the  options  has  shown  that  Option  5  presented  serious  risks  regarding  data 
protection  due  to  the  self-enrolment  of  biometrics  through  digital  means.  All  other  options 
were relatively equivalent as far as data protection was concerned.  

Regarding digital visas, currently the information about a visa is both stored in a large-scale 
EU database – the VIS, as well as evidenced by affixing a visa sticker in the passport. Hence, 
dematerialising the visa sticker into a purely digital visa does not change the fact that the visa 
information  is,  and  will  still  be,  stored  in  a  large-scale  EU  database.  The  VIS  regulation 
already  contains  high data protection safeguards  (retention  rules,  access  rules, access  rights, 
rights to rectification, completion, erasure of personal data and restriction of processing etc.). 
Moreover,  the  recently  revised  VIS  Regulation  has  further  enhanced  these  data  protection 
safeguards  by  bringing  data  protection  provisions  in  line  with  applicable  data  protection 
legislative standards. These enhanced data protection safeguards will continue to apply, as the 
information contained in the digital visas will continue to be stored in the VIS. 

4. 

• 

BUDGETARY IMPLICATIONS 

EU Visa application platform 

With regard to the budget implication for the EU institutions, as estimated in the Digital Visa 
Prototype  study39,  the  cost  of  establishing  the  EU  visa  application  platform  will  range 

39 

A project with eu-LISA to develop and test a prototype of a future EU online visa application platform 
launched in September 2020 in accordance with a Service Level Agreement signed between DG HOME 
and  eu-LISA  on  27  July  2020.  The  project  is  to  analyse  the  costs  as  well  as  technical  and  legal 

EN 

12 

  EN 

                                                 
 
between EUR 33.8 million  and EUR 41.2 million (including the managed service costs and 
the  adaptations  needed  for  VIS)40.  Once  this  managed  service  is  created,  operation  and 
maintenance  costs  will  amount  to  a  yearly  cost  between  EUR  10.5  million  and  EUR  12.8 
million, including 10 staff for eu-LISA. 

Concerning the impact on Member States, each Member State will need to connect and update 
their  national  system(s)  so  they  can  use  the  services  from  the  new  centralised  EU  visa 
application platform. The  Impact Assessment estimates this cost between EUR 270 000 and 
EUR 330 000 per Member State. Once connected, the national systems will need to store the 
received  applications  so  they  can  be  examined  later.  The  Impact  Assessment  estimated  an 
investment of roughly EUR 2.5 million to EUR 3 million (on average) per Member State41 for 
these  infrastructure  provisions.  This  cost  would  greatly  depend  on  the  number  of  visa 
applications a Member State receives per year. Once the national systems have been updated 
and  connected  to  the  managed  service  and  sufficient  storage  space  is  envisaged,  these  new 
enhanced  national  systems  will  also  need  to  be  maintained,  with  an  estimated  cost  between 
EUR 460 000 and EUR 570 000 per Member State, annually.  This cost also varies with the 
number  of  applications  a  Member  State  receives.  It  should  be  underlined  that  all  of  the 
abovementioned  costs  will,  as  a  result  of  economies  of  scale,  be  lower  than  the  costs  a 
Member State would incur if it were to develop its own online visa application platform. 

• 

Digital visa 

The cost attached to the digital visa at central-level (service to check the validity of visas) is 
included in the abovementioned cost of the EU Visa application platform ( functionality of the 
platform). In addition to this, the records of visas currently issued are already digitally stored 
in  VIS. Therefore, digitalisation of visas would not  imply  any other  additional costs for the 
EU budget. 

The introduction of the digital visa would trigger only negligible costs for Member States, as 
per  calculations  in  the  impact  assessment  accompanying  this  proposal.  Indeed,  the  tools  to 
generate  and  verify  a  signed  2D  barcode  will  already  be  in  place  to  comply  with  the 
Commission’s  Implementing  Decision  introducing  a  digital  seal  on  the  uniform  format  for 
visas42. 

5. 

• 

OTHER ELEMENTS 

Implementation plans and monitoring, evaluation and reporting arrangements 

A  robust  monitoring  and  evaluation  mechanism  will  be  crucial  to  ensure  that  the  envisaged 
beneficial effects of the implementation of an EU visa application platform and of the digital 
visa materialise in practice.  

40 
41 

42 

requirements of a future EU online application platform. The final report of the project to be submitted 
by October 2021. 
Estimated to last three years based on the 2019 digital visa feasibility study. 
Please note that this average cost deviates from the one  presented in option 3. This is because the 17 
Member  States  that  were  selected  in  policy  Option  3  account  only  for  43%  of  the  visa  applications 
while accounting for roughly 75% of all Member States. This is the reason infrastructure costs cannot 
be scaled linearly based on the number of Member States that decide to opt in. 
C(2020)2672. This Implementing Decision stipulates that all Member States shall apply the digital seal 
at the latest two years after the notification (i.e. 1 May 2022). 

EN 

13 

  EN 

                                                                                                                                                         
Article 57 of the Visa Code and Article 50 of the revised VIS Regulation on Monitoring and 
Evaluation, already provide for monitoring and evaluation obligations. A dedicated article in 
the VIS Regulation is added, addressing specifically the evaluation of changes stemming from 
the adoption of the proposal on digitalisation of visa procedures.  

Indicators will allow to measure progress to reach the main objectives, namely to simplify and 
harmonise  the  visa  application  process  for  Member  States  and  third-country  nationals;  to 
reduce  risks  of  (identity)  fraud,  forgery  and  facilitate  the  verification  process  at  the  border; 
and to make the EU a more attractive destination for travellers. 
Implementation of visa policy is also monitored or assessed through the Schengen evaluation 
mechanism in accordance with Council Regulation (EU) No 1053/20133, without prejudice to 
the Commission's role as guardian of the Treaties (Article 17(1) TEU). 

• 

Variable geometry  

This proposal builds upon and develops the Schengen acquis regarding external borders and 
visas in that it concerns the crossing of external borders and the granting of short-stay visas. 
Because the legal basis for this proposal is to be found in Title V of Part Three of the TFEU, 
the system of ‘variable geometry’, as provided for in the protocols on the position of Denmark 
and  Ireland and  the Schengen protocol,  applies.  The consequences  for the various protocols 
and  Schengen  association  agreements  therefore  have  to  be  considered  with  regard  to 
Denmark, Ireland, Iceland and Norway; and Switzerland and Liechtenstein.  

Likewise,  the  consequences  for  the  various  Acts  of  Accessions  must  be  considered.  The 
detailed situation of each of the States concerned is set out in recitals 40-47 of this proposal. 

• 

Detailed explanations of the provisions of the proposal  

Article 1 of the proposal modifies the provisions of Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 (the Visa 
Code) to implement the proposal, by making the following notable modifications, alongside a 
number of other consequential amendments: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The special status of visa applicants who are family members of UK nationals who 
are beneficiaries of the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement in relation to their host State, 
by  virtue  of  Article  14(3)  of  the  EU-UK  Withdrawal  Agreement,  is  reflected  in 
Article 1 and throughout the text; 

Article 5 lays down the rule to determine the competent Member State to examine an 
application; 

Article  9  introduces  the  obligation  to  apply  through  an  EU  digital  visa  application 
platform, at the same time maintaining the possibility to cater to certain exceptions, 
namely  visas  issued  at  the  external  border,  visas  issued  for  Heads  of  State  or 
Government, and individual cases because of humanitarian reasons;  

Article  10  provides  for  the  general  rules  for  lodging  an  application,  with  some 
adaptations to ensure that the rules can apply to a digital context;  

Article 12 outlines that the travel document will have to be presented with the  first 
application,  whereas  afterwards  a  scanned  copy  uploaded  to  the  EU  application 
platform will suffice;  

The  rules  provided  for  in  Article  13  on  biometric  identifiers  are  kept  in  place,  and 
only  targeted  changes  are  made  to  reflect  the  EU  digital  application  platform 

EN 

14 

  EN 

functionalities  in  particular  the  use  of  the  external  service  provider  gateway  when 
biometrics are collected by such providers;  

Article 18 is modified in order to reflect the automated competence and admissibility 
pre-check carried out by the EU visa application platform; 

Article  19  is  amended  to  adapt  the  rules  of  admissibility  to  the  use  of  the  EU  visa 
application platform, in particular the inclusion of admissibility pre-check performed 
by the EU visa application platform;  

The rules set in Article 24 on issuing multiple entry visas are maintained. However, 
as  consequence  of  dematerialising  visas,  the  validity  of  the  visa  will  no  longer  be 
limited by the expiry date of the passport;  

Article  26a  outlines  that  visas  will  be  issued  in  a  digital  format  in  the  Visa 
Information System.  

 

 

 

 

Article  2  implements  the  EU  visa  application  platform,  by  proposing  a  series  of  changes  in 
Regulation  (EC)  No  767/2008  (VIS  Regulation).  The  following  notable  modifications  are 
made, alongside a number of other consequential amendments: 

 

 

 

Article 2a introduces the online EU visa application platform as a new functionality 
in the Visa Information System; 

A  new  Chapter  Ia  is  introduced,  laying  down  the  functionalities  of  the  EU  visa 
application  platform:  outlining  the  information  to  be  included  in  the  online 
application form, building on information currently required from applicants (Article 
7b);  listing  the  steps  to  be  taken  by  applicants  to  submit  an  application  on  the 
platform,  mirroring  the  model  of  ETIAS  and  the  existing  visa  application  process 
(Article 7c); introducing the payment and appointment tool (Article 7d); establishing 
a  gateway  to  allow  read-only  access  to  VIS  data  for  External  Service  Providers 
(Article  7e);  explaining  how  the  notification  of  decisions  will  be  undertaken,  also 
following the ETIAS model (Article 7f).  

Article 7b provides for specific provisions on the use of the EU application platform 
by family members of Union citizens or of other third-country nationals enjoying the 
right of free movement under Union law or of UK nationals who are beneficiaries of 
the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement. 

Article  3  amends  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No  1683/95  (Visa  Sticker  Regulation)  to 
implement  the  digital  visa  by  specifying  that  Member  States  implementing  the  Schengen 
acquis in full shall issue visas in digital format. 

Article  4  amends  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No  333/2002  (uniform  format  for  forms  for 
affixing the visa issued by Member States to persons holding travel documents not recognised 
by the Member State drawing up the form). With the introduction of digital visas which are 
not affixed to a travel document, it is no longer necessary to have a special form for affixing 
visas  by  the  authorities  of  a  Member  State  to  the  holder  of  a  travel  document  which  is  not 
recognised by that Member State. 

Article  5  provides  for  targeted  amendments  to  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No  694/2003  on 
uniform  formats  for  Facilitated  Transit  Documents  (FTD)  and  Facilitated  Rail  Transit 

EN 

15 

  EN 

 
 
 
Documents (FRTD). In order to reflect the digitalisation, it is specified that such documents 
will be issued in digital format. 

Article 6 amends the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement.  As the format for 
short-stay  visas,  as  set  by  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No  1683/95,  is  also  used  for  long-stay 
visas.  Therefore,  the  Convention  implementing  the  Schengen  Agreement  is  amended  to 
enable that long-stay visas are also issued in digital format. 

Article  7  amends  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No  693/2003  (on  Facilitated  Transit  Documents 
(FTD) and Facilitated Rail Transit Documents (FRTD). The  application  procedure for these 
documents is paper-based. In order to reflect digitalisation developments, Council Regulation 
(EC)  No  693/2003  and  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No  694/2003  are  amended  to  enable  the 
issuance in digital format, as well as digital applications. 

Article  8  provides  for  targeted  technical  amendments  to  Regulation  (EU)  2017/2226 
(Entry/Exit  System  Regulation),  which  are  rendered  necessary  by  the  introduction  of  the 
digital visa and the abolition of the physical visa sticker, in particular the transfer of data from 
VIS to the EES when a valid visa has been confirmed in a new travel document. 

Article 9 provides for standard provisions on the evaluation of the EU application platform. 

Article 10  lays out provisions on the start of operations  of the EU application platform  and 
digital visa. It also provides for a transition period for the Member States which do not wish 
to avail themselves of the EU visa application platform, and describes the modalities of this 
transition period. 

Article 11 is a standard provision on entry into force of the amending regulation. 

EN 

16 

  EN 

2022/0132 (COD) 

Proposal for a 

REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL 

amending Regulations (EC) No 767/2008, (EC) No 810/2009 and (EU) 2017/2226 of the 
European Parliament and of the Council, Council Regulations (EC) No 1683/95, (EC) 
No 333/2002, (EC) No 693/2003 and (EC) No 694/2003 and Convention implementing the 
Schengen Agreement, as regards the digitalisation of the visa procedure 

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 

Having  regard  to  the  Treaty  on  the  Functioning  of  the  European  Union,  and  in  particular 
Articles 77(2), point (a), and 79(2), point (a), thereof, 

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission, 

After transmission of the draft legislative act to the national parliaments, 

Acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure, 

Whereas: 

(1) 

(2) 

43 
44 

45 

46 

The Union's common visa policy has been an integral part of the establishment of an 
area  without  internal  borders.  Visa  policy  should  remain  an  essential  element  in 
helping counter security  risks and the risk of irregular migration to  the Union, while 
facilitating  tourism  and  business.  The  common  visa  policy  should  contribute  to 
generating  growth  and  be  consistent  with  other  Union  policies,  such  as  those 
concerning  external  relations,  trade,  education,  culture  and  tourism.  In  March  2018 
Commission  communication  on  visa  policy  addressed  the  concept  of  “e-visas”  and 
announced  a  feasibility  study  on  digital  visa  procedures  and  the  intention  to  assess 
options  and  promote  pilot  projects  to  prepare  the  ground  for  future  proposals.  When 
revising  the  EU  Visa  Code  in  2019,  the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council 
explicitly  stated  the  aim  of  developing  a  common  solution  in  the  future  to  allow 
Schengen visa applications to be lodged online, thereby making full use of recent legal 
and technological developments43.  

The initiative is in line with the general EU approach to encourage the modernisation 
and digitalisation of public services and the Commission communication on the 2030 
Digital compass: the European way for the digital decade44. Since the entry into force 
of Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council45 in 
2010 and the start of operations of the Visa Information System (VIS) in 2011 under 
Regulation  (EC)  No  767/2008  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council46, 

Recital 20 in Regulation (EU) 2019/1155 
COM(2021)  118  final,  Commission  communication  on  the  2030  Digital  Compass:  the  European  way 
for the Digital Decade 
Regulation  (EC)  No  810/2009  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  13  July  2009 
establishing a Community Code on Visas (Visa Code) (OJ L 243 15.9.2009, p. 1). 
Regulation (EC) No 767/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 July 2008 concerning 
the  Visa  Information  System  (VIS)  and  the  exchange  of  data  between  Member  States  on  short-stay 
visas, (OJ L 218, 13.8.2008, p. 60). 

EN 

17 

  EN 

                                                 
 
migration and security challenges faced in recent years have considerably transformed 
the  visa  policy  context.  In  addition,  significant  technological  developments  provide 
new opportunities to make the Schengen visa application process smoother and more 
effective for third-country nationals and Member States authorities.  

The COVID-19 pandemic, which led to the slowing down of Schengen visa operations 
worldwide  partly  due  to  the  difficulty  of  receiving  visa  applicants  in  consulates  and 
Visa  Application  Centres,  prompted  Member  States  to  call  upon  the  Commission  to 
speed up work on digitalisation of visa procedures. 

The  New  Pact  on  Migration  and  Asylum  proposed  by  the  Commission  on  23 
September  2020  set  the  objective  of  making  the  visa  procedure  fully  digitalised  by 
2025, with a digital visa and the ability to submit visa applications online. 

(3) 

(4) 

(5)  While visa processing is already partially digitalised, with applications and decisions 
recorded  in  the  VIS,  two  important  steps  remain  paper-based:  the  visa  application 
process and the issuance of the visa to the applicant by means of a visa sticker. This 
creates  a  burden  for  all  stakeholders,  in  particular  for  Member  States  authorities 
issuing visas and visa applicants. Member States are aware of this and some of them 
have  already  implemented  digital  solutions  in  order  to  provide  applicants  with  a 
modern  and  user-friendly  application  procedure  and  to  improve  the  efficiency  of 
handling visa applications. 

(6) 

(7) 

(8) 

Visa applicants should be able to apply for a visa online through a single EU platform, 
regardless  of  the  Member  State  of  destination.  This  tool  should  automatically 
determine which Member State is competent to examine an application, in particular 
where the applicant  intends to  visit  several  Member States.  Member States will only 
need to check whether the tool determined the correct competent Member State.  

The  EU  online  application  platform  should  provide  the  applicant  with  up-to-date 
information on Schengen short-stay visas and a guidance tool with which the applicant 
can find all the necessary information regarding the requirements and procedures, such 
as, but not limited to, whether a visa is required and what type of visa; the amount of 
the visa fee; the Member State competent for handling the application; the supporting 
documents  required;  the  need  for  an  appointment  to  collect  biometrics  or  the 
possibility  to  apply  online  without  an  appointment.  The  EU  application  platform 
should  also  allow  to  establish  a  secure  electronic  communication  between  the 
applicant  and  the  competent  consulate  or  the  central  authorities  of  the  competent 
Member  State  by  electronic  means,  should  additional  documents  or  an  interview  be 
required.  

Visa applicants should be able to submit their application, provide data required in the 
application  form,  provide  a  scanned  copy  of  the  travel  document,  and  provide 
supporting documents  and travel  medical  insurance in  digital  format through the EU 
application platform. In order to enable applicants to save information relating to their 
application,  the  online  application  platform  should  be  able  to  store  data  temporarily. 
Once  the  applicant  has  submitted  the  online  application  and  the  Member  States 
perform the appropriate checks, the application file will be transferred to the national 
system of the competent Member State and stored there. Consulates would consult the 
information  stored  at  a  national  level  and  push  only  the  required  data  to  the  central 
VIS.  

EN 

18 

  EN 

                                                                                                                                                         
 
(9) 

 Appearing in person at the consulate or external service provider should, in principle, 
be mandatory  only  for first time applicants  and applicants  who have acquired a new 
travel  document,  which  needs  to  be  verified,  and  for  the  collection  of  biometric 
identifiers.  

(10)  Repeat  applicants  should  be  able  to  apply  fully  online  within  a  period  of  59  months 
after their initial successful application provided that they apply with the same travel 
document. Once this period of time has elapsed, biometrics should be collected again, 
as  referred  to  in  Regulation  (EC)  No  810/2009,  under  which  biometric  data  are,  in 
principle, to be collected every 59 months, starting from the date of the first collection.  

(11)  Specific provisions apply to third-country nationals subject to a visa requirement, who 
are  family  members  of  citizens  of  the  Union  to  whom  Directive  2004/38/EC  of  the 
European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council47  applies  or  of  third-country  nationals 
enjoying  the  right  of  free  movement  equivalent  to  that  of  Union  citizens  under  an 
agreement  between  the  Union  and  its  Member  States,  on  the  one  hand,  and  a  third 
country,  on  the  other,  and  who  do  not  hold  a  residence  card  pursuant  to  Directive 
2004/38/EU,  or  of  UK  nationals  who  are  beneficiaries  of  the  Agreement  on  the 
withdrawal  of  the  United  Kingdom  of  Great  Britain  and  Northern  Ireland  from  the 
European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community48 (EU-UK Withdrawal 
Agreement) in relation to their host State, and who do not hold a EU-UK Withdrawal 
Agreement residence document. 

(12)  Article 21(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union stipulates that 
every  citizen  of  the  Union  shall  have  the  right  to  move  and  reside  freely  within  the 
territory of the Member States, subject to the limitations and conditions laid down in 
the  Treaties  and  by  the  measures  adopted  to  give  them  effect.  The  respective 
limitations and conditions are to be found in Directive 2004/38/EC. As confirmed by 
the Court of Justice of the European Union, family members referred to under recital 
11 have not only the right to enter the territory of the Member State but also to obtain 
an entry visa for that purpose. Member States must grant such persons every facility to 
obtain the necessary visas which must be issued free of charge as soon as possible and 
on  the  basis  of  an  accelerated  procedure  and  with  due  regards  to  the  procedural 
safeguards  that  apply  to  them.  Against  this  background,  in  particular,  such  family 
members  should  be  entitled  to  lodge  their  visa  application,  their  application  for  a 
confirmation  of  a  valid  visa  in  a  new  travel  document  or  their  application  for  the 
extension of their visa without using the EU application platform, as this may facilitate 
their visa application. In such a case, they should be entitled to choose to lodge their 
applications in person at the consulate or at the external service providers. In addition, 
the EU online visa application platform should fully take into account the rights and 
facilitations  granted  to  the  beneficiaries  of  the  free  movement  acquis.  The  same 
applies  with  regard  to  family  members  of  UK  nationals  who  are  beneficiaries  of  the 
EU-UK  Withdrawal  Agreement  in  relation  to  their  host  State,  by  virtue  of  Article 
14(3) of the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement.  

47 

48 

Directive 2004/38/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on the right of 
citizens  of  the  Union  and  their  family  members  to  move  and  reside  freely  within  the  territory  of  the 
Member  States  amending  Regulation  (EEC)  No  1612/68  and  repealing  Directives  64/221/EEC, 
68/360/EEC,  72/194/EEC,  73/148/EEC,  75/34/EEC,  75/35/EEC,  90/364/EEC,  90/365/EEC  and 
93/96/EEC (OJ L 158, 30.4.2004, p. 77). 
Agreement on the  withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the 
European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community (OJ L 29, 31.1.2020, p. 7). 

EN 

19 

  EN 

                                                 
(13)  Special provisions should apply in individual cases because of humanitarian reasons or 
to  Heads  of  State  or  government  and  members  of  a  national  government  with 
accompanying  spouses,  and  the  members  of  their  official  delegation  when  they  are 
invited  by  Member  States’  governments  or  by  international  organisations  for  an 
official purpose, sovereigns and other senior members of a royal family, when they are 
invited  by  Member  States’  governments  or  by  international  organisations  for  an 
official purpose.  

(14)  Special  provisions  which  should  apply  in  individual  cases  because  of  humanitarian 

reasons could cover digital accessibility issues 

(15)  A third party authorised by the visa applicant or empowered by law to represent them  
should be able to lodge an application on their behalf, provided this person’s identity 
is  included  in  the  application  form.  It  should  be  possible  for  travellers  to  authorise 
commercial intermediaries to create and submit an application on their behalf. 

(16)  Each applicant should submit a completed application form using the EU application 
platform,  including  a  declaration  of  the  authenticity,  completeness,  correctness  and 
reliability of the data submitted and a declaration of the veracity and reliability of the 
statements  made.  Each  applicant  should  also  state  that  they  have  understood  the 
conditions  for  entry  referred  to  in  Regulation  (EU)  2016/399  of  the  European 
Parliament  and  of  the  Council49  and  that  they  could  be  requested  to  provide  the 
relevant supporting documents at each entry. Application forms for minors should be 
submitted  and  electronically  signed  by  a  person  exercising  permanent  or  temporary 
parental authority or legal guardianship. 

(17) 

]The payment of the visa fee should be made by using a third-party gateway linked to 
the online application platform and the payments would be directly transferred to the 
appropriate  Member  State.  The  data  required  for  securing  the  electronic  payment 
should not form part of data stored in VIS.  

(18)  The  EU  application  platform  will  also  contain  the  appointment  tool,  which  the 
Member  State  may  decide  to  use  to  manage  appointments  at  their  consulates  or  the 
external  service  providers.  While  the  use  of  such  tool  should  remain  optional,  as  it 
might  not  be  appropriate  across  all  locations  and  for  all  consulates,  Member  States 
should nevertheless use local Schengen cooperation to discuss whether a harmonised 
approach regarding the use of the appointment tool could be followed in specific third 
countries or specific locations. 

(19)  The system should notify the applicant if information is missing and the system should 
provide  the  applicant  with  the  possibility  of  correcting  the  application.  The  EU 
application  platform  should  indicate  to  the  applicant  of  the  admissibility  of  his/her 
application  via  an  automated  admissibility  pre-check.  The  pre-check  should  ensure 
that  the  information  provided  fulfils  the  admissibility  requirements  for  the  requested 
visa. 

(20)  Where  the  competent  consulate  or  the  central  authorities  of  the  competent  Member 
State finds that it is responsible to examine the application, it should accept it and the 
data  should  be  imported  into  the  national  system  from  the  temporary  storage  as 
established  by  the  VIS  Regulation  and  deleted  from  the  temporary  storage  with  the 
exception of contact data. 

49 

Regulation (EU) 2016/399 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2016 on a Union 
Code on the rules governing the movement of persons across borders (Schengen Borders Code) 

EN 

20 

  EN 

                                                 
(21)  Applicants should be notified of the decision taken by the competent Member State on 
their  application  by  electronic  means,  indicating  whether  the  visa  is  issued;  refused; 
confirmed  to  a  new  travel  document;  extended;  annulled  or  revoked,  in  accordance 
with Regulations (EC) No 810/2009 and (EC) No 767/2008.  

(22) 

(23) 

(24) 

In order to reduce security risks related to counterfeited and stolen visa stickers, a visa 
should be issued in digital format and no longer as a visa sticker affixed to the travel 
document. 

In  order  to  ensure  maximum  security  and  prevent  counterfeiting  or  forgery,  the 
notification  of  digital  visa  should  be  in  the  form  of  a  2D  barcode,  cryptographically 
signed  by  the  Country  Signing  Certificate  Authority  (CSCA)  of  the  issuing  Member 
State. In case VIS is unavailable or unreachable, checks would rely on a 2D barcode 
from the signing authority.  

In case the travel document of the visa holder is lost, stolen or has expired and the visa 
is  still  valid,  the  visa  holder  could  apply  via  the  EU  application  platform  for  the 
confirmation  of  the  visa  in  a  new  travel  document  under  the  condition  that  the  new 
travel document is of the same type and issued by the same country as the lost, stolen 
or expired travel document. The visa holder should appear in person to the consulate 
or the external service provider to present the new travel document in order to verify 
the authenticity of the new travel document. 

(25)  Data  stored  in  the  EU  application  platform  should  be  safeguarded  using  privacy-

enhancing implementation measures.  

(26)  External service providers should have access to the EU application platform only to 
retrieve  and  review  submitted  applications;  verify  the  data  temporarily  stored  (for 
example,  scan  of  travel  document);  collect  and  upload  biometric  identifiers;  perform 
quality checks of the uploaded supporting documents; confirm that an application has 
been  reviewed  and  thus  making  it  available  to  the  consulate  for  further  processing; 
external service providers should not have access to data stored in VIS.  

(27) 

It is necessary to determine the date from which operations start, including the digital 
visa  and  the  EU  application  platform.  A  Member  State  may,  for  a  period  of  5  years 
from  the  date  of  start  of  operations,  decide  not  to  avail  itself  of  the  online  EU 
application platform.  Nevertheless,  a Member State may  notify  that it wishes  to  join 
the online EU application platform before the end of the transition period. During the 
transitional period, if the Member State processing its visa applications decided not to 
avail  itself  of  the  online  EU  application  platform,  visa  holders  will  still  be  able  to 
verify the digital visas using the web-service of the EU application platform. 

(28)  EU  application  platform  should  contain  a  functionality  for  applicants  to  verify  their 

digital visas.  

(29)  The Member States which do not apply the Schengen acquis in full, and therefore do 
not  have  access  to  VIS  to  enter  visa  applications  and  store  digital  visas,  should 
continue to issue visas in the form of a uniform format (sticker). 

(30) 

In  order  to  enable  the  application  of  Decision  No  565/2014/EU,  Bulgaria,  Croatia, 
Cyprus and Romania should have read-only access of digital visas stored in VIS. 

(31)  The  European  Union  Agency  for  the  Operational  Management  of  Large-Scale  IT 
Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (eu-LISA) should be responsible 
for  the  technical  development  and  operational  management  of  the  EU  application 
platform and its components, as part of VIS. 

EN 

21 

  EN 

(32)  The system architecture of the EU application platform should reuse the existing and 
upcoming systems  that  are part of the new framework for interoperability  to  the full 
extent possible,  and in  particular European Travel  Authorisation  Information  System 
(ETIAS)  and  Entry-Exit  System  (EES),  while  respecting  the  current  limitations  of 
technology and the current investments made by Member States in their own national 
systems.  

(33)  Checking of digital visas at the border should rely on the existing and upcoming EU 
system  architecture  for  border  management  and  should  consist  of  the  visa  holder’s 
information stored in the VIS. This information should be verified with biometric data 
by Member States authorities.  

(34)  The  format  for  short-stay  visas,  as  set  by  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No  1683/9550,  is 
also  used for long-stay  visas. Therefore, the Convention implementing the Schengen 
Agreement51  should  be  amended  to  enable  that  long-stay  visas  are  also  issued  in 
digital format. 

(35)  Since the introduction of digital visas would obviate the need for affixing the physical 
visa  sticker,  the  Regulation  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No  333/200252  setting  the 
uniform  format  for  forms  for  affixing  the  visa  issued  by  Member  States  to  persons 
holding  travel  documents  not  recognised  by  the  Member  State  should  be  modified 
accordingly. 

(36)  Facilitated Transit Documents (FTD) and Facilitated Rail Transit Documents (FRTD) 
constitute documents having the value of transit visas authorising their holders to enter 
in  order  to  pass  through  the  territories  of  Member  States  in  accordance  with  the 
provisions  of  the  Schengen  acquis  concerning  the  crossing  of  external  borders. 
Facilitated Transit Documents (FTD) and Facilitated Rail Transit Documents (FRTD) 
are issued in uniform formats and the application procedure is paper-based.  In order to 
reflect  digitalisation  developments,  and  Council Regulation  (EC)  No  693/200353  and 
Council Regulation (EC) No 694/200354, should be amended to enable the issuance in 
digital format, as well as digital applications. 

(37) 

In  order  to  ensure  that  the  application  form  and  the  refusal  forms  cater  for  the 
possibilities when a visa applicant submitted their application via the EU application 
platform or not, the power to adopt delegated  acts in accordance with Article 290  of 
the  Treaty  on  the  Functioning  of  the  European  Union  should  be  delegated  to  the 
Commission to amend the list of information that the EU application platform should 
contain  and  to  amend  the  appropriate  standard  forms  and  formats.  It  is  of  particular 
importance that the Commission carry out appropriate consultations during its preparatory 

50 

51 

52 

53 

54 

Council Regulation (EC) No 1683/95 of 29 May 1995 laying down a uniform  format  for visas (OJ L 
164, 14.7.1995, p. 1). 
Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement of 14 June  1985 between the Governments of the 
States of the Benelux Economic Union, the Federal Republic of Germany and the French Republic on 
the gradual abolition of checks at their common borders (OJ L 239, 22.9.2000, p. 19). 
Council Regulation (EC) No 333/2002 of 18 February 2002 on a uniform format for forms for affixing 
the visa issued by Member States to persons holding travel documents not recognised by the Member 
State drawing up the form (OJ L 53, 23.2.2002, p. 4). 
Council  Regulation  (EC)  No  693/2003  of  14  April  2003  establishing  a  specific  Facilitated  Transit 
Document  (FTD),  a  Facilitated  Rail  Transit  Document  (FRTD)  and  amending  the  Common  Consular 
Instructions and the Common Manual (OJ L 99, 17.4.2003, p. 8). 
Council  Regulation  (EC)  No  694/2003  of  14  April  2003  on  uniform  formats  for  Facilitated  Transit 
Documents (FTD) and Facilitated Rail Transit Documents (FRTD) provided for in Regulation (EC) No 
693/2003 (OJ L 99, 17.4.2003, p. 15). 

EN 

22 

  EN 

                                                 
work,  including  at  expert  level,  and  that those consultations  be  conducted in  accordance 
with  the  principles  laid  down  in  the  Interinstitutional  Agreement  of  13  April  2016  on 
Better  Law-Making55.  In  particular,  to  ensure  equal  participation  in  the  preparation  of 
delegated acts, the European Parliament and the Council should receive all documents at 
the  same  time  as  Member  States'  experts,  and  their  experts  should  systematically  have 
access to meetings of Commission expert groups dealing with the preparation of delegated 
acts.  

(38)  Since  the  objectives  of  this  Regulation,  namely,  the  establishment  of  the  European 
online visa application platform and the introduction of a digital visa  builds on other 
initiatives aiming, on the one hand, at streamlining and harmonising the procedures in 
the context of the common visa policy and, on the other hand, at aligning travel, entry 
requirements and border checks within the Schengen Area with the new digital era, the 
amendments of the related legislation are only possible at Union level and are part of 
the Schengen acquis. The Union may adopt measures in accordance with the principle 
of subsidiarity as set out in Article 5 of the Treaty on European Union. In accordance 
with the principle of proportionality, as set out in that Article, this Regulation does not 
go beyond what is necessary in order to achieve those objectives. 

(39)  This Regulation is without prejudice to the application of Directive 2004/38/EC and of 

Part Two of the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement.  

(40)  This Regulation respects fundamental rights and observes the principles recognised in 
particular  by  the  Charter  of  Fundamental  Rights  of  the  European  Union.  The 
introduction of an EU application platform and of a digital visa will fully respect the 
right to protection of personal data, the respect for private and family life, the rights of 
the  child,  and  the  protection  of  vulnerable  persons  All  safeguards  on  fundamental 
rights included in the Visa Information System Regulation will remain fully applicable 
in  the  context  of  the  future  EU  Visa  application  platform  and  of  the  digital  visa,  in 
particular regarding to the rights of child. The platform will have to take into account 
requirements  laid  down  in  the  Accessibility  Directive56  to  ensure  an  easy  access  for 
people with disabilities.  

(41) 

In accordance with Articles 1 and 2 of the Protocol No 22 on the Position of Denmark 
annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty on the Functioning of the 
European Union, Denmark is not taking part in the adoption of this Regulation and is 
not bound by it or subject to its application. Given that this Regulation builds upon the 
Schengen acquis, Denmark shall, in accordance with Article 4 of that Protocol, decide 
within a period of six months after the Council has decided on this Regulation whether 
it will implement it in its national law. 

(42)  This Regulation constitutes a development of the provisions of the Schengen acquis in 
which Ireland does not take part57; Ireland is therefore not taking part in the adoption 
of this Regulation and is not bound by it or subject to its application. 

55 
56 

57 

OJ L 123, 12.5.2016, p. 1. 
Directive (EU) 2016/2102 of the European Parliament and  of the Council of 26 October 2016 on the 
accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies, (OJ L 327, 2.12.2016, p. 
1–15). 
This Regulation falls outside the scope of the measures provided for in Council Decision 2002/192/EC 
of 28 February 2002 concerning Ireland's request to take part in some of the provisions of the Schengen 
acquis (OJ L 64, 7.3.2002, p. 20). 

EN 

23 

  EN 

                                                 
(43)  As  regards  Iceland  and  Norway,  this  Regulation  constitutes  a  development  of  the 
provisions of the Schengen acquis within the meaning of the Agreement concluded by 
the Council of the European Union and the Republic of Iceland and the Kingdom of 
Norway  concerning  the  association  of  those  two  States  with  the  implementation, 
application  and  development  of  the  Schengen  acquis58  which  fall  within  the  area 
referred to in Article 1, point B of Council Decision 1999/437/EC59. 

(44)  As regards Switzerland, this Regulation constitutes a development of the provisions of 
the  Schengen  acquis  within  the  meaning  of  the  Agreement  between  the  European 
Union,  the  European  Community  and  the  Swiss  Confederation  on  the  Swiss 
Confederation's association with the implementation, application and development of 
the Schengen  acquis60 which fall within the area referred to  in  Article 1, point B, of 
Decision  1999/437/EC  read  in  conjunction  with  Article  3  of  Council  Decision 
2008/146/EC61. 

(45)  As regards Liechtenstein, this Regulation constitutes a development of the provisions 
of  the  Schengen  acquis  within  the  meaning  of  the  Protocol  between  the  European 
Union,  the  European  Community,  the  Swiss  Confederation  and  the  Principality  of 
Liechtenstein  on  the  accession  of  the  Principality  of  Liechtenstein  to  the  Agreement 
between the European Union, the European Community and the Swiss Confederation 
on  the  Swiss  Confederation's  association  with  the  implementation,  application  and 
development of the Schengen acquis62 which fall within the area referred to in Article 
1,  point  B,  of  Decision  1999/437/EC  read  in  conjunction  with  Article  3  of  Council 
Decision 2011/350/EU63. 

(46)  This  Regulation  constitutes  an  act  building  upon,  or  otherwise  relating  to,  the 
Schengen acquis within, respectively, the meaning of Article 3(2) of the 2003 Act of 
Accession, Article 4(2) of the 2005 Act of Accession and Article 4(2) of the 2011 Act 
of Accession, 

(47)  The European Data Protection Supervisor was consulted in accordance with Article 42 
of  Regulation  (EU)  2018/1725  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council64  and 
delivered an opinion on [XX]65. 

58 
59 

60 
61 

62 
63 

64 

OJ L 176, 10.7.1999, p. 36. 
Council  Decision  1999/437/EC  of  17  May  1999  on  certain  arrangements  for  the  application  of  the 
Agreement  concluded  by  the  Council  of  the  European  Union  and  the  Republic  of  Iceland  and  the 
Kingdom  of  Norway  concerning  the  association  of  those  two  States  with  the  implementation, 
application and development of the Schengen acquis (OJ L 176, 10.7.1999, p. 31). 
OJ L 53, 27.2.2008, p. 52. 
Council  Decision  2008/146/EC  of  28  January  2008  on  the  conclusion,  on  behalf  of  the  European 
Community, of the Agreement between the European Union, the European Community and the Swiss 
Confederation  on  the  Swiss  Confederation's  association  with  the  implementation,  application  and 
development of the Schengen acquis (OJ L 53, 27.2.2008, p. 1). 
OJ L 160, 18.6.2011, p. 21. 
Council Decision 2011/350/EU of 7 March 2011 on the conclusion, on behalf of the European Union, 
of the Protocol between the European Union, the European Community, the Swiss Confederation and 
the Principality of Liechtenstein on the accession of the Principality of Liechtenstein to the Agreement 
between  the  European  Union,  the  European  Community  and  the  Swiss  Confederation  on  the  Swiss 
Confederation's  association  with  the  implementation,  application  and  development  of  the  Schengen 
acquis,  relating  to  the  abolition  of  checks  at  internal  borders  and  movement  of  persons  (OJ  L  160, 
18.6.2011, p. 19). 
Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2018 on the 
protection of natural persons with regard to the  processing of personal data by the Union institutions, 

EN 

24 

  EN 

                                                 
 
HAVE ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: 

Article 1 
Amendments to Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 

Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 is amended as follows:  

(1) 

in Article 1(2), the following point (c) is added:  

“(c) the residence rights enjoyed in the host State by third-country nationals who are 
family members of UK nationals who themselves are beneficiaries of the Agreement 
on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from 
the  European  Union  and  the  European  Atomic  Energy  Community*  (‘EU-UK 
Withdrawal Agreement’). 

__________ 

*  Agreement  on  the  withdrawal  of  the  United  Kingdom  of  Great  Britain  and 
Northern  Ireland  from  the  European  Union  and  the  European  Atomic  Energy 
Community (OJ L 29, 31.1.2020, p. 7).”; 

(2) 

in Article 2, the following points 10a and 10b are inserted: 

 “10a. ‘application form’ means the uniform form set out in Annex I, either available 
online via the EU application platform or on paper;  

10b. ‘digital visa’ means visas issued in digital format as a record in VIS;”; 

(3) 

in Article 3(5), point (d) is replaced by the following: 

“(d)  family  members  of  citizens  of  the  Union  referred  to  in  Article  1(2),  point  (a), 
and  family  members  of  UK  nationals  who  themselves  are  beneficiaries  of  the  EU-
UK Withdrawal Agreement referred to in Article 1(2), point (c);”; 

(4) 

in Article 5(1), point (b) is replaced by the following: 

“(b) if the visit includes more than one destination, or if several separate visits are to 
be  carried  out  within  a  period  of  two  months,  the  Member  State  whose  territory 
constitutes the main destination of the visit(s) in terms of the length of stay, counted 
in days;”; 

(5) 

in Article 8, the following paragraph 4a is inserted: 

“4a.  Bilateral  representation  arrangements  shall  be  displayed  in  the  EU  application 
platform referred to in Chapter Ia of Regulation (EC) No 767/2008.”; 

(6) 

(a) 

Article 9 is amended as follows: 

the following paragraphs 1a and 1b are inserted: 

“1a.  Applicants  shall  lodge  an  application  via  the  EU  application  platform,  as 
referred to in Chapter Ia of Regulation (EC) No 767/2008.  

1b. By derogation from paragraph 1a, the following categories of persons may lodge 
an application without using the EU application platform: 

(a) 

third-country nationals in individual cases for humanitarian reasons; 

bodies, offices and agencies and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Regulation (EC) No 
45/2001 and Decision No 1247/2002/EC (OJ L 295, 21.11.2018, p. 39–98) 
[OJ C …]. 

65 

EN 

25 

  EN 

                                                                                                                                                         
they  are 

(b)  heads  of  State  or  government  and  members  of  a  national  government 
with accompanying spouses, and the members of their official delegation 
when 
invited  by  Member  States’  governments  or  by 
international  organisations  for  an  official  purpose,  sovereigns  and  other 
senior  members  of  a  royal  family,  when  they  are  invited  by  Member 
States’  governments  or  by  international  organisations  for  an  official 
purpose; 

(c) 

third-country nationals to whom visas are issued at the external border in 
accordance to Chapter VI.”; 

(b) 

in paragraph 4 the following point (d) is added: 

“(d) by another person when it is lodged via the EU application platform.”; 

(7) 

(a) 

 Article 10 is amended as follows: 

paragraph 1 is replaced by the following: 

 “1.  When  lodging  an  application,  applicants  shall,  where  required  in  accordance 
with  Article  13,  appear  in  person  to  provide  their  fingerprints  and  facial  image. 
Applicants shall also appear in person for the verification of their travel document in 
accordance with Article 12.”; 

(b) 

the following paragraphs 1a and 1b are inserted: 

“1a. Member States may, in justified and individual cases, require that the applicant 
presents  a  travel  document  and/or  provides  supporting  documents.  This  shall  be 
possible  in  exceptional  cases  and  in  cases  where  there  is  a  high  incidence  of 
fraudulent documents in a particular location.  

1b. Consulates shall, within  local  Schengen  cooperation, assess  the implementation 
of the conditions laid down in paragraph 1a, to take account of local circumstances.”;  

(c) 

paragraph 3 is replaced by the following: 

“3. When lodging the application, the applicant shall: 

(a) 

provide data referred to in Article 11; 

(b)  provide proof of holding the travel document in accordance with Article 

12; 

(c) 

(d) 

(e) 

(f) 

allow his or her facial image to be taken live in accordance with Article 
13 or, where the exemptions referred to in Article 13(7a) apply, present a 
photograph in accordance with the standards set  out in Regulation (EC) 
No 1683/95; 

allow the collection of his or her fingerprints in accordance with Article 
13, where applicable; 

pay the visa fee in accordance with Article 16; 

provide proof of the supporting documents in accordance with Article 14; 

(g)  where  applicable,  provide  proof  of  possession  of  adequate  and  valid 

travel medical insurance in accordance with Article 15.”; 

(8) 

(a) 

Article 11 is amended as follows: 

paragraph 1 is replaced by the following: 

EN 

26 

  EN 

“1.  Application  form  shall  be  submitted  via  the  EU  application  platform.  In  cases 
referred to  in  Article 9(1b), the applicants  may submit  a manually or electronically 
completed application form set out in Annex I. 

The Commission shall adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 51a in order 
to  update  the  application  form  as  set  out  in  Annex  I  or  submitted  via  the  EU 
application platform. 

The  application  form  shall  be  signed.  It  may  be  signed  electronically.  Persons 
included in the applicant’s travel document shall submit a separate application form. 
Minors shall submit an application form signed by a person exercising permanent or 
temporary parental authority or legal guardianship.”; 

(b) 

(c) 

paragraph 1b is deleted; 

the following paragraph 1c is inserted: 

“1c.  Each  applicant  shall  submit  a  completed  application  form  including  a 
declaration  of  the  authenticity,  completeness,  correctness  and  reliability  of  the  data 
submitted  and  a  declaration  of  the  veracity  and  reliability  of  the  statements  made. 
Each applicant shall also state that he or she has understood the conditions for entry 
referred  to  in  Article  6  of  Regulation  (EU)  2016/399  and  that  he  or  she  may  be 
requested to provide the relevant supporting documents at each entry.”; 

(9) 

Article 12 is replaced by the following: 

 “Article 12 
Travel document 

1. 

The  applicant  shall  provide  proof  of  holding  a  valid  travel  document  satisfying  the 
following criteria: 

2. 

3. 

4. 

(a) 

its  validity  shall  extend  at  least  three  months  after  the  intended  date  of 
departure  from  the  territory  of  the  Member  States  or,  in  the  case  of  several 
visits, after the last intended date of departure from the territory of the Member 
States.  However,  in  a  justified  case  of  emergency,  this  obligation  may  be 
waived; 

(b) 

it shall have been issued within the previous 10 years. 

The applicant shall only be required to present the travel document in person in case 
of a first application with that travel document, or if the applicant needs to provide 
biometrics.  

The first subparagraph shall not affect the application of Article 10(1a). 

The travel documents shall be checked using the appropriate technology. 

Where the application is submitted via the EU application platform, the consulate or 
the external service provider shall verify that the presented travel document, which is 
presented in person in accordance with paragraph 2, corresponds to the scanned copy 
uploaded by the applicant.  

If  the  verification  is  done  by  the  external  service  provider,  the  external  service 
provider  shall  use  the  external  service  provider  gateway  referred  to  in  Article  7e 
Regulation (EC) No 767/2008. 

5. 

Where the quality of the scanned copy referred to in paragraph 4 is unsatisfactory or 
where there are doubts, notably regarding authenticity the competent consulate or the 

EN 

27 

  EN 

external  service provider  shall take a new scan and upload  it to  the EU application 
platform..”; 

(10) 

in Article 13, the following paragraph 7c is added: 

“7c. Where the biometric identifiers are collected by an external service provider in 
accordance  with  Article  43,  the  external  service  provider  gateway  referred  to  in 
Article 7e Regulation (EC) No 767/2008 shall be used for this purpose.”; 

(11) 

Article 14 is amended as follows: 

(a) 

in paragraph 1, the introductory words are replaced by the following:  

“When applying for a uniform visa, the applicant shall provide proof of:”; 

(b) 

in paragraph 2, the introductory words are replaced by the following:  

“When applying for  an airport transit visa, the applicant shall provide proof of:”; 

(12) 

in Article 15(2), the second subparagraph is replaced by the following: 

“In addition, such applicants shall declare, as part of the application form, that they 
are aware of the need to be in possession of travel medical insurance for subsequent 
stays.”; 

(13) 

in Article 16(7), the first subparagraph is replaced by the following: 

“For  applications  submitted  via  the  EU  application  platform,  the  visa  fee  shall  be 
charged in euro and shall not be refundable except in the cases referred to in Article 
18(2) and Article 19(3). ”;  

For  application  not  submitted  via  the  EU  application  platform,  when  charged  in  a 
currency other than the euro, the amount of the visa fee charged in that currency shall 
be  determined  and  regularly  reviewed  in  application  of  the  euro  foreign  exchange 
reference  rate  set  by  the  European  Central  Bank.  The  amount  charged  may  be 
rounded up and it shall be ensured under local Schengen cooperation that similar fees 
are charged.”; 

(14) 

in Article 18 the following paragraphs 3 and 4 are added: 

“3.  For  applications  submitted  via  the  EU  application  platform,  following  the 
notification  by  the  EU  application  platform  on  the  automated  competence  and 
admissibility  pre-check  pursuant  to  Article  7c(9)  of  Regulation  (EC)  No  767/2008, 
the  consulate  or  the  central  authorities  of  the  Member  State  notified  by  the  system 
shall verify whether they are competent to examine and decide on it. 

4.  In  cases  referred  to  in  paragraph  3,  if  the  Member  State  finds  that  it  is  not 
competent,  it  shall,  without  delay,  notify  the  applicant  using  the  secure  account 
service in the EU application platform, indicating which Member State is competent.  

The  applicant  may  withdraw  the  application.  If  the  application  is  withdrawn 
application data  shall  be deleted from temporary storage., pursuant  to  Article 7c of 
Regulation (EC) No 767/2008”; 

(15) 

Article 19 is amended as follows: 

(a) 

the following paragraph 1a is inserted: 

“1a. For applications submitted via the EU application platform, after the notification 
by the EU application platform on the automated admissibility pre-check pursuant to 
Article  7c(9)  of  Regulation  (EC)  No  767/2008,  indicating  that  the  application  is 

EN 

28 

  EN 

admissible, the consulate or  the central  authorities of the Member  State notified by 
the system shall conduct the checks in paragraph 1 without delay.”; 

(b) 

the following paragraph 2b is inserted: 

“2b.  For  applications  submitted  via  the  EU  application  platform,  where  the 
competent  consulate  or  the  central  authorities  of  the  competent  Member  State  find 
that the conditions referred to in paragraph 1 have been fulfilled, the application shall 
be admissible and the competent consulate or the central authorities of the competent 
Member State shall accept the application.”; 

(c) 

the following paragraph 4a is added:  

“4a.  For  applications  submitted  via  the  EU  application  platform,  the  competent 
consulate or the  central  authorities of the competent Member State  shall  be able to 
accept  an  application  which  has  not  been  lodged  within  the  period  referred  to  in 
Article 9(1), notably in justified cases of urgency referred to in Article 9(3).”; 

(16) 

(17) 

(a) 

Article 20 is deleted; 

Article 21 is amended as follows: 

in paragraph 3, point (a) is replaced by the following 

“(a)  that  the  travel  document  provided  or  presented  is  not  false,  counterfeit  or 
forged;”; 

(b) 

in paragraph 6, point (a) is replaced by the following 

“(a)  that  the  travel  document  provided  or  presented  is  not  false,  counterfeit  or 
forged;”; 

(18) 

Article 24 is amended as follows: 

(a) 

(b) 

in  paragraph  1,  third  subparagraph,  the  reference  to  “point  (a)  of  Article  12”  is 
replaced by reference to “Article 12(1), point (a)”;  

in  paragraph  2  first  subparagraph,  the  introductory  words  are  replaced  by  the 
following:  

“Provided that the applicant fulfils the entry conditions set out in Article 6(1), points 
(a),  (c),  (d)  and  (e),  of  Regulation  (EU) 2016/399,  multiple-entry  visas  with  a  long 
validity shall be issued for the following validity periods:”; 

(c) 

the following paragraph 2aa is inserted: 

“2aa. The validity of the multiple-entry visas with a long validity periods shall not be 
restricted by the validity of the travel document”; 

(19) 

in Article 25, the following paragraph 6 is added:  

“6. Issuing a visa in digital format shall not affect the competence of Member States 
in  relation  to  the  recognition  of  travel  documents.  This  includes  those  travel 
documents that are not recognised by one or more, but not all Member States.”; 

(20) 

the following Article 26a is inserted: 

Visas shall be issued in digital format as a record in VIS, including a unique visa number. ”; 

“Article 26a 
Digital visas 

EN 

29 

  EN 

(21) 

Article 32 is amended as follows: 

(a) 

paragraph 2 is replaced by the following: 

“2.  For  applications  submitted  via  the  EU  application  platform,  information 
regarding decisions on refusal and the reasons on which it is based shall be notified 
to  the  applicant  by  secure  electronic  means  in  accordance  with  Article  7f(1)  of 
Regulation (EC) No 767/2008. The notification will contain the same information as 
set  out  in  Annex  VI,  in  the  language  of  the  Member  State  that  has  taken  the  final 
decision on the application and another official language of the Union. 

Member States may add additional documents to the standard notification, justifying 
the refusal. 

For applications not submitted via the EU application platform in cases referred to in 
Article  9(1b),  a  decision  on  refusal  and  the  reasons  on  which  it  is  based  shall  be 
notified to  the  applicant  by means of the standard form  set out  in  Annex VI in  the 
language of the Member State that has taken the final decision on the application and 
another official language of the Union. 

The Commission shall adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 51a in order 
to amend the refusal form, as set out in Annex VI or as a notification as referred to in 
Chapter Ia of Regulation (EC) No 767/2008.”; 

(b) 

in paragraph 3, the third sentence is replaced by the following: 

“Member States shall provide applicants with information regarding the procedure to 
be followed in the event of an appeal, as specified as specified in Annex VI or in the 
refusal notification sent via the EU application platform”; 

(22) 

the following Article 32a is inserted: 

“Article 32a 
Confirmation of a valid visa in a new travel document 

Visa holders whose travel document has been lost, stolen or has expired and whose 
visa is  still valid may apply for the confirmation of the visa  linked to a  new travel 
document. 

The visa holders referred to in paragraph 1 shall apply for confirmation of the visa in 
a new travel document via the EU application platform referred to in Chapter  Ia of 
Regulation (EC) No 767/2008. They shall provide the following personal data:  

name, data of birth, nationality; 

number of the visa; 

data of the lost, stolen or expired travel document; 

data of new travel document; 

scan of biodata page; 

proof of loss or theft of the travel document or expiry. 

The visa holder shall pay the visa confirmation fee of EUR 30.   

The visa holder shall be required to appear in person for the presentation of the new 
travel  document  in  order  to  verify  that  this  travel  document  corresponds  to  the 

1. 

2. 

(a) 

(b) 

(c) 

(d) 

(e) 

(f) 

3. 

4. 

EN 

30 

  EN 

5. 

6. 

7. 

8. 

scanned copy uploaded via the EU application platform, and that bearer of the travel 
document corresponds to the person for whom a visa was issued. 

The new travel document shall fulfil conditions laid down in Article 12. 

Where  the competent  consulate or the central  authorities of the competent  Member 
State  determines  that  the  valid  visa  can  be  confirmed  in  a  new  travel  document,  it 
shall  enter  the  data  in  the  application  file  in  VIS  pursuant  to  Article  12a  of 
Regulation (EC) No 767/2008. 

The  fact  that  a  visa  is  confirmed  in  a  new  travel  document  shall  be  notified  to  the 
applicant  by  secure  electronic  means  in  accordance  with  Article  7f  of  Regulation 
(EC) No 767/2008. 

Where the competent  consulate  or the central  authorities of the competent  Member 
State  cannot  determine  whether  the  valid  visa  can  be  confirmed  in  a  new  travel 
document,  notably  because  of  doubts  regarding  the  identity  of  the  visa  holder,  it 
shall:  

(a) 

refuse the confirmation;  

(b) 

revoke the valid visa, in accordance with Article 34. 

9. 

The procedure regarding the confirmation  of a valid visa in  a new travel document 
shall not preclude the visa holder  to submit a new visa application.”; 

(23) 

Article 33 is amended as follows: 

(a) 

paragraph 6 is replaced by the following: 

“6.  Visa  holders  may  apply  for  extension  online  via  the  EU  application  platform. 
They  shall  provide  personal  data,  number  of  visa  and  travel  document,  upload 
supporting  documents  proving  force  majeure,  humanitarian  reasons  and/or  serious 
personal  reasons  preventing  them  from  leaving  the  territory  of  the  Member  States, 
and  pay  the  fee  of  EUR  30  only  in  case  of  serious  personal  reasons  referred  to  in 
paragraph 2.”; 

(b) 

the following paragraph 8 is added: 

“8. When a visa is extended pursuant to paragraphs 1 to 7 of this Article via the EU 
application  platform,  the  extension  shall  be  notified  to  the  applicant  by  secure 
electronic means in accordance with Article 7f of Regulation (EC) No 767/2008.”; 

(24) 

Article 34 is amended as follows:  

(a) 

paragraphs 5 and 6 are replaced by the following: 

“5.  If  a  visa  not  issued  in  digital  format  is  annulled  or  revoked,  a  stamp  stating 
‘ANNULLED’  or  ‘REVOKED’  shall  be  affixed  to  it  and  the  optically  variable 
feature  of  the  visa  sticker,  the  security  feature  ‘latent  image  effect’  as  well  as  the 
term ‘visa’ shall be invalidated by being crossed out. 

6.  A  decision  on  annulment  or  revocation  of  a  visa  and  the  reasons  on  which  it  is 
based shall be issued in digital format by entering the data into the VIS, pursuant to 
Article 12 of Regulation (EC) No 767/2008, and notified to the applicant by secure 
electronic means in  accordance with Article 7f of Regulation (EC) No 767/2008 or 
by means of the standard form set out in Annex VI for applications not submitted via 
the EU application platform. The notification shall contain the information set out in 
Annex VI.”; 

EN 

31 

  EN 

(b) 

in paragraph 7, the third sentence is replaced by the following: 

‘Member States shall provide applicants with information regarding the procedure to 
be followed in the event of an appeal,  as set out in Annex VI or in the notification 
sent via the EU application platform’; 

(25) 

Article 37 is amended as follows: 

(a) 

paragraph 2 is replaced by the following: 

“2.  For  Member  States  which  do  not  issue  visas  in  digital  format,  the  storage  and 
handling of visa stickers shall be subject to adequate security measures to avoid fraud 
or loss. Each consulate shall keep an account of its stock of visa stickers and register 
how each visa sticker has been used. Any significant loss of blank visa stickers shall 
be reported to the Commission.”;  

(b) 

in paragraph 3, the first sentence is replaced by the following:  

“ Consulates  or  central  authorities  shall  keep  archives  of  applications  in  electronic 
format. ”; 

(26) 

Article 38 is amended as follows: 

(a) 

paragraph 1a is replaced by the following: 

“Member States  shall  ensure  that  the  entire  visa  procedure  in  consulates,  including 
the lodging and handling of applications and the practical cooperation with external 
service providers, is monitored by expatriate staff to ensure the integrity of all stages 
of the procedure.”; 

(b) 

the following paragraph 3c is inserted: 

“3c.  Member  States’  central  authorities  shall  provide  appropriate  training  to  their 
staff regarding the EU application platform.”; 

(27) 

(28) 

(a) 

Article 42 is deleted. 

Article 43 is amended as follows: 

paragraph 4 is replaced by the following: 

“4.  The examination of applications, interviews, where appropriate, and the decision 
on applications shall be carried out only by the consulate.”; 

(b) 

in paragraph 5, the following second subparagraph is added: 

“By  way  of  derogation,  external  service  providers  may  have  access  to  the  EU 
application platform via the external service provider gateway referred to in Article 
7e of Regulation (EC) No 767/2008 to: 

(a) 

verify the data uploaded by the applicant; 

(b)  upload biometric identifiers; 

(c) 

upload the supporting documents; 

(d)  use the appointment tool to indicate available slots.”; 

(c) 

paragraph 6 is amended as follows: 

(1)  point (c) is replaced by the following: 

“(c)  collecting data  (including collection of biometric identifiers and, in 
exceptional  cases,  supporting  documents  and  documents  needed  for 

EN 

32 

  EN 

identity  checks),  transmitting  them  to  the  consulate  or  the  central 
authorities  where  applicable,  and  uploading  them  to  the  EU  application 
platform;”; 

(2) 

the following point (ca) is inserted: 

“(ca)  verify  the  travel  document  against  the  copy  uploaded  by  the 
applicant;”; 

(29) 

in Article 44, the following paragraph 1a is inserted : 

“1a. Paragraph 1 shall not apply to the access that external service providers may have 
to the EU application platform via the external service provider gateway referred to in 
Article 7e of Regulation (EC) No 767/2008.”; 

(30) 

in Article 47, the following paragraph 3 is added: 

“3.  The  EU  application  platform  shall  provide  the  general  public  with  all  relevant 
information in relation to the application for a visa via the EU application platform, in 
particular the information referred to in Article 7a of Regulation (EC) No 767/2008.”; 

(31) 

in Article 51a(2), (3) and (6) the reference to “Article 16(9)” is replaced by reference 
to “Article 11(1), Article 16(9) and Article 32(2)”; 

(32) 

in Article 53(1), point (f) is replaced by the following: 

“(f)  for  Member  States  which  do  not  issue  visas  in  digital  format,  the  additional 
national entries in the ‘comments’ section of the visa sticker, as referred to in Article 
27(2);”; 

(33) 

Annex III is deleted. 

Article 2 
Amendments to Regulation (EC) No 767/2008 

Regulation (EC) No 767/2008 is amended as follows: 

(1) 

(a) 

Article 2a is amended as follows: 

paragraph 1 is amended as follows: 

(1) 

the following point is inserted: 

 “(fa) EU application platform;”; 

(2) 

the following subparagraph is added: 

“The  EU  application  platform  shall  share  and  re-use  as  much  as 
technically  possible  the  hardware  and  software  components  of  the  EES 
web service and the ETIAS website and the app for mobile devices.”; 

(b) 

the following paragraph 6 is added: 

“6. The EU application platform shall consist of the following components: 

(a) 

a public website and an app for mobile devices; 

(b) 

temporary storage capacity; 

(c) 

a secure account service; 

(d) 

a verification tool for applicants; 

(e)  web-service for visa holders 

EN 

33 

  EN 

(f) 

(g) 

(h) 

(i) 

(j) 

an email service; 

a payment tool; 

an appointment tool; 

an external service provider gateway; 

a  configuration  module  that  shall  cater  for  eu-LISA,  central 
authorities and consulates; 

(k) 

a software to generate and read encrypted 2D barcode; 

(l) 

a  secure  web  service  enabling  the  components  of  the  EU 
application platform to communicate; 

(m)  a helpdesk function to be managed by eu-LISA; 

(n) 

read-only copy of VIS database.”; 

(2) 

in Article 4, point 2 is replaced by the following: 

“2.  ‘digital  visa’  means  the  visa  in  digital  format  referred  to  in  Article  26a  of 
Regulation (EC) No 810/2009;” 

(3) 

the following Chapter Ia is inserted: 

“CHAPTER Ia 
EU ONLINE VISA APPLICATION PLATFORM 

Article 7a 
General public information on the EU-application platform 

The EU Online Visa Application Platform (‘EU Application Platform’) shall provide 
general information to the public as referred to in Article 47 of Regulation (EC) No 
810/2009. 

The  Commission  and  the  Member  States  shall  be  responsible  for  providing  the 
information, in accordance with their respective responsibilities set out in paragraphs 
2 to 4 of this Article. 

eu-LISA  shall  be  responsible  for  publishing  and  updating  the  following    general 
public  information  on  the  EU-application  platform,  upon  receiving  the  following 
information from the Commission or the Member States: 

the  visa  requirements,  including  visa  lists,  visa  waiver  agreements;  including  for 
diplomatic and service passports, and including cases of possible suspension of visa-
free travel, under Articles 3, 4, 5, 7, 8 of Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 and Annexes I 
and the II thereto, as well as information pursuant to Directive 2004/38/EC and EU-
UK Withdrawal Agreement; 

the amount of the visa fees referred to in Article 16 of Regulation (EC) No 810/2009; 
reduced or higher fees in case of visa facilitation agreement, or a readmission-related 
measure  stemming  from    Article  25a  of  that  Regulation,  as  well  as  Directive 
2004/38/EC and the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement; 

where  applicable,  harmonised  lists  of  supporting  documents,  established  in 
accordance with Article 14(5a) of Regulation (EC) No 810/2009; 

1. 

2. 

(a) 

(b) 

(c) 

EN 

34 

  EN 

(d) 

where applicable, travel medical insurance requirements, in accordance with Article 
15 of Regulation (EC) No 810/2009. 

3. 

(a) 

(b) 

(c) 

(d) 

(e) 

(f) 

4. 

(a) 

(b) 

(c) 

1. 

2. 

In  case  a  Member  State  provides  the  information,  eu-LISA  shall  configure  the  EU 
application platform upon confirmation of this information from the Commission.  

The central visa authorities shall be responsible for inputting the following elements: 

locations  of  consulates  and  their  territorial  competence  referred  to  in  Article  6  of 
Regulation (EC) No 810/2009; 

representation  agreements  or  arrangements  referred  to  in  Article  8  of  Regulation 
(EC) No 810/2009; 

use  of  external  service  providers  and  their  locations  referred  to  in  Article  43  of 
Regulation (EC) No 810/2009; 

supporting documents referred to in Article 14 of Regulation (EC) No 810/2009,  as 
well  as  those  applicable  pursuant  to  Directive  2004/38/EC  and  the  EU-UK 
Withdrawal Agreement; 

optional visa waivers referred to in Article 6 of Regulation (EU) 2018/1806; 

optional visa fee waivers referred to in Article 16(5) Regulation (EC) No 810/2009. 

The  consulate  or  the  central  authorities  of  the  competent  Member  State  shall  be 
responsible for inputting the following elements: 

contact  details  and  access  rights  of  external  service  providers  including  for  the 
appointment tool; 

appointment tool, including available slots; 

number of applications accepted per week/month. 

Article 7b 
Online application form 

Each applicant shall submit a completed online application referred to in Article 11 
of Regulation (EC) No 810/2009, using the EU application platform.  

Without  prejudice  to  Article  7ba,  he  applicant  shall  provide  the  following  personal 
data in the application form: 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

surname(s) (family name);  

surname at birth (former family name(s));  

first name(s) (given name(s)); 

(4)  date of birth (day-month-year); 

(5)  place of birth; 

(6) 

(7) 

(8) 

(9) 

country of birth; 

current nationality; nationalities at birth, if different; other nationalities; 

sex; 

civil status; 

EN 

35 

  EN 

(10)  parental  authority  (in  case  of  minors)  /legal  guardian  (surname,  first  name, 
address,  if  different  from  the  applicant’s,  telephone  number,  e-mail  address, 
and nationality); 

(11)  national identity number, where applicable; 

(12)  type of travel document; 

(13)  number of the travel document;  

(14)  date of issue; 

(15)  valid until; 

(16)  issued by (country); 

(17)  personal data of the family member who is a mobile e EU, EEA or CH citizen  
or who is a UK national beneficiary of the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement in 
the  host  State  for  which  the  visa  application  is  made,  if  applicable:  surname 
(family name), first name(s) (given name(s)), date of birth, nationality, number 
of travel document or ID card; 

(18)  Family  relationship  with  a  mobile  EU,  EEA  or  CH  citizen  or  with  a  UK 
national who is a beneficiary of the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement in the host 
State for which the visa application is made, if applicable 

(19)  Applicant’s home address and email address, telephone number; 

(20)  residence in a country other than the country of current nationality; 

(21)  current occupation; 

(22)  employer  and  employer’s  address  and  telephone  number:  for  students  name 

and address of educational establishment; 

(23)  purpose(s) of the journey; 

(24)  additional information on purpose of stay; 

(25)  Member State of main destination (and other Member States of destination, if 

applicable); 

(26)  Member State of first entry; 

(27)  number of entries requested; intended date of arrival of the first intended stay 
in the Schengen area; Intended date of departure from the Schengen area after 
the first intended stay; 

(28)  fingerprints  collected  previously  for  the  purpose  of  applying  for  a  Schengen 

visa; date (if known); visa number, if known; 

(29)  entry permit for the final country of destination, where applicable; 

(30)  surname and first name of the inviting person(s) in the Member State(s). If not 
applicable,  name  of  hotel(s)  or  temporary  accommodation(s)  in  the  Member 
State(s); 

(31)  name and address of inviting company/organisation 

(32)  how the cost of travelling and living during the applicant’s stay is covered; 

The applicant shall also provide an email address.  

EN 

36 

  EN 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

All such data shall be recorded and stored temporary storage capacity in line with the 
data retention periods defined in Article 7c. 

The EU application platform shall also contain a secure account service. The secure 
account service shall have the possibility for the applicant to keep the data provided 
for subsequent applications, but only if the applicant freely and explicitly consents to 
such storage. 

The  secure  account  service  shall  contain  the  possibility  for  the  applicant  to  submit 
application  in  several  steps.  The  Commission  shall  adopt  delegated  acts  in 
accordance with Article 48a in order to define the requirements of the secure account 
service,  including  the  retention  period  for  data  stored  therein  and  for  uncompleted 
applications  or  applications  which  do  not  pass  the  competence  and  admissibility 
check. 

The  data  referred  to  in  paragraph  2  shall  be  introduced  by  the  applicant  in  Latin 
alphabet characters. 

On  submission  of  the  online  application  form,  the  EU  application  platform  shall 
collect the IP address from which the application form was submitted and add it as 
part of data of the application. 

The  Commission  shall,  by  means  of  implementing  acts,  define  the  content  of  a 
simplified  application  forms  for  confirmation  of  valid  visas  in  a  new  travel 
document,  as  referred  to  in  Article  32a  of  Regulation  (EC)  No  810/2009,  and  for 
extension  of  visas,  as  referred  to  in  Article  33  of  that  Regulation,  using  the  EU 
application platform. Those implementing  acts  shall be adopted in  accordance  with 
the examination procedure referred to in Article 49(2). 

The  Commission  shall,  by  means  of  implementing  acts,  define  the  requirements 
concerning the format of the personal data referred to in paragraphs 2  and 5 of this 
Article to be inserted in the application form as well as parameters and verifications 
to  be  implemented  for  ensuring  the  completeness  of  the  application  and  the 
coherence  of  those  data.  Those  implementing  acts  shall  be  adopted  in  accordance 
with the examination procedure referred to in Article 49(2). 

Article 7ba 
Specific provisions on the use of the EU application platform by family members of Union 
citizens or of other third-country nationals enjoying the right of free movement under Union 
law or of UK nationals who are beneficiaries of the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement  

1. 

2. 

A  third-country  national  who  is  a  family  member  of  a  Union  citizen  to  whom 
Directive 2004/38/EC applies or of a third-country national enjoying the right of free 
movement  equivalent  to  that  of  Union  citizens  under  an  agreement  between  the 
Union and its Member States, on the one hand, and a third country, on the other, may 
lodge  an  application  for  a  visa,  without  using  the  EU  application  platform  and  be 
entitled to lodge the application in person at the consulate or at the external service 
providers premises, at their choice. 

Where a third-country national who is a family member of a Union citizen to whom 
Directive 2004/38/EC applies or of a third-country national enjoying the right of free 
movement  equivalent  to  that  of  Union  citizens  under  an  agreement  between  the 
Union  and  its  Member  States,  on  the  one  hand,  and  a  third  country,  on  the  other, 
applies for a visa using the EU application platform, the application process shall be 
carried out in accordance with Directive 2004/38/EC. 

EN 

37 

  EN 

3. 

In particular, the EU application platform shall be designed so as to ensure that  the 
following specific rules shall apply: 

(a) 

(b) 

(c) 

the visa fee shall be waived; 

in the visa application form, the applicant shall not provide the following 
personal data: 

(a)  Current occupation 

(b)  Employer  and  employer’s  address  and  telephone  number:  for 

students name and address of educational establishment 

(c)  Surname  and  first  name  of  the  inviting  person(s)  in  the  Member 
temporary 

State(s).  If  not  applicable,  name  of  hotel(s)  or 
accommodation(s) in the Member State(s) 

(d)  Name and address of inviting company/organisation 

(e)  Means  of  how  the  cost  of  travelling  and  living  during  the 

applicant’s stay is covered. 

 the  applicant  should  be  able  to  submit  documents  establishing  that 
he/she  is  a member of the family of a Union citizen to whom Directive 
2004/38/EC  applies  or  of  a  third-country  national  enjoying  the  right  of 
free movement equivalent  to  that of Union  citizens  under an agreement 
between the Union and its Member States, on the one hand, and a third 
country,  on  the  other.  The  applicant  should  not  be  requested  to  submit 
supporting documents referred to under Article 14 of Regulation (EC) No 
810/2009  nor  proof  of  possession  of  adequate  and  valid  travel  medical 
insurance in accordance with Article 15 of Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 
should not be requested. 

(d)  by way of derogation from Article 7c(8), the automated admissibility pre-

check shall only verify whether: 

(a) 

all the required fields of the application form are filled in;  

(b)  proof  of  holding  a  valid  passport  in  accordance  with  Directive 

2004/38/EC is provided;  

(c) 

the  biometric  data  of  the  applicant  have  been  collected,  if 
applicable.  

(e) 

 where  a  visa  is  issued,  in  the  notification  laid  down  in  Article  7f,  the 
applicant  shall  receive  a  reminder  that  the  family  member  of  a  citizen 
exercising the right of free movement who is in possession of a visa only 
has a right  to  enter if that  family member is  accompanied by or joining 
the  Union  citizen  or  other  third-country  national  exercising  his  or  her 
right of free movement. 

4. 

Paragraphs  1  and  2  also  apply  where  a  third-country  national  who  is  a  family 
member  of  a  Union  citizen  to  whom  Directive  2004/38/EC  applies  or  of  a  third-
country  national  enjoying  the  right  of  free  movement  equivalent  to  that  of  Union 
citizens  under  an  agreement  between  the  Union  and  its  Member  States,  on  the  one 
hand, and a third country, on the other, requires a visa extension or a confirmation of 
the visa in a new travel document. The visa extension fee and the visa confirmation 
fee shall be waived. 

EN 

38 

  EN 

5. 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

8. 

Paragraphs 1 to 4 shall apply mutatis mutandis to family members of UK nationals 
who themselves are beneficiaries of the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement in the host 
State for which the visa application is made. 

Article 7c 
Application process using the EU application platform 

Upon submission of the application form pursuant to Article 7b, the EU application 
platform  shall  determine  the  type  of  visa  applied  for,  and  conduct  an  automated 
competence  pre-check  to  automatically  pre-determine  the  competent  Member  State 
on the basis of the data provided by the applicant. This shall not preclude the manual 
verification  of  the  competence  by  the  Member  States  in  accordance  with  Article 
18(3) of Regulation (EC) No 810/2009. 

The EU application platform shall be designed in such a way to allow applicants to 
indicate whether they are legally present, but not residing in a jurisdiction, as referred 
to in Article 6 (2) of Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 

Applicants shall be able to use the EU application platform to submit a scanned copy 
of  the  travel  document  in  electronic  format,  as  well  as  supporting  documents  and 
proof  of  travel  medical  insurance  in  digital  format,  as  applicable,  pursuant  to 
Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 or Directive 2004/38/EC.  

The  Commission  shall,  by  means  of  implementing  acts,  define  the  technical 
requirements  concerning  the  format  of  supporting  documents,  travel  medical 
insurance and copy of travel document in electronic format. Those implementing acts 
shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 
49(2). 

If necessary, the applicant shall be able to use the EU application platform to pay the 
visa fee using the payment tool referred to in Article 7d. 

The  EU  application  platform  shall  be  able  to  check  in  the  read-only  copy  of  VIS 
whether the applicant’s biometrics were taken in the last 59 months and whether the 
applicant has already applied with the same travel document: 

Where this is the case, the EU application platform shall notify the applicant that no 
visit to consulate or external service provider is required to lodge the application; 

Where this is not the case, the EU application platform shall notify the applicant to 
arrange  a  visit  to  consulate  or  external  service  provider,  as  required,  to  lodge  the 
application. 

If  a  visit  to  consulate  or  external  service  provider  is  necessary  in  accordance  with 
Regulation  (EC) No 810/2009, a  Member State  may  decide  to  use the appointment 
tool referred to in Article 7d for this purpose. 

The applicant shall submit the application, including declaration of the authenticity, 
completeness, correctness and reliability of data. 

After the applicant submits the application via the EU application platform, the EU 
application platform shall perform an automated admissibility pre-check. 

The automated admissibility pre-check shall automatically verify whether: 

(a) 

the application has been lodged within the period referred to in Article 9(1), if 
applicable; 

EN 

39 

  EN 

(b) 

all the required fields of the application form are filled in;  

(c) 

proof of holding a travel document in accordance with Article 12 of Regulation 
(EC) No 810/2009 is provided; 

(d) 

the biometric data of the applicant have been collected, if applicable;  

(e) 

the visa fee has been collected, if applicable;  

9. 

If  according to  the automated admissibility  pre-check the application is  admissible, 
the EU application platform shall send a  notification to the  consulate or the central 
authorities  of  the  Member  State  with  the  combined  result  of  the  automated 
competence and admissibility pre-check.  

If  according  to  the  automated  admissibility  pre-check  the  application  is  not 
admissible, the EU application platform shall send a notification to the applicant and 
notify which part of the application file is missing. 

The application platform shall be designed so as to ensure that Article 19 paragraphs 
(4)  and  (4a)  of  Regulation  (EC)  No  810/2009  can  apply,  in  order  to  allow 
applications to be considered admissible. 

Following  the  notification  referred  to  in  paragraph  9,  the  consulate  or  the  central 
authorities  of  the  Member  State  shall  perform  a  manual  verification  of  the 
competence, in accordance with Article 18(3) of Regulation (EC) No 810/2009, and 
subsequently  if  needed,  a  manual  verification  of  admissibility  in  accordance  with 
Article 19. of that Regulation. 

If the competent consulate or the central authorities of the competent Member State 
accept  the  application  submitted  via  the  EU  application  platform  the  data  shall  be 
transferred  to  the  national  system  from  temporary  storage.  The  data  shall  be 
immediately  deleted  from  temporary  storage,  with  the  exception  of  contact  data 
linked to the secure account service. 

If the applicant withdraws the application following the automated competence and 
admissibility  pre-check,  the  data  shall  be  immediately  deleted  from  temporary 
storage, with the exception of contact data linked to the secure account service. 

The  competent  consulate  or  the  central  authorities  of  the  competent  Member  State 
may use the secure account service to communicate with the applicants. 

Article 7d 
Payment tool and appointment tool 

A payment tool shall be used to pay the visa fee using the EU application platform. 
The payment tool shall be managed by third party provider. 

The  Commission  shall,  by  means  of  implementing  acts,  define  the  requirements 
concerning the payment tool referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article, including the 
reimbursement modalities for applicants. Those implementing acts shall be adopted 
in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 49(2). 

A tool for managing appointments may be used by Member States or external service 
providers. 

The  Commission  shall,  by  means  of  implementing  acts,  define  the  requirements 
concerning the appointment tool referred to in paragraph 3 of this Article, including 
the  modalities  for  confirmation  of  appointments,  the  link  to  existing  appointment 

10. 

11. 

12. 

13. 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

EN 

40 

  EN 

tools or information on walk-in appointments to be configured by the consulates or 
external  service  providers  and  the  technical  modalities  to  ensure  that  any  family 
member  of  a  Union  citizen  to  whom  Directive  2004/38/EC  applies  or  of  a  third-
country  national  enjoying  the  right  of  free  movement  equivalent  to  that  of  Union 
citizens  under  an  agreement  between  the  Union  and  its  Member  States,  on  the  one 
hand,  and  a  third  country,  on  the  other,  or  of  UK  nationals  who  themselves  are 
beneficiaries  of  the  EU-UK  Withdrawal  Agreement  in  the  host  State  for  which  the 
visa  application  is  made  can  benefit  from  an  accelerated  procedure.  Those 
implementing  acts  shall  be  adopted  in  accordance  with  the  examination  procedure 
referred to in Article 49(2). 

Article 7e 
External service provider gateway 

1. 

External service providers shall have access to the EU application platform using the 
external service gateway only to: 

(a) 

verify  and  perform  quality  checks  on  the  data  uploaded  in  the  temporary 
storage capacity, notably the scanned copy of the travel document; 

(b)  upload the biometric identifiers; 

(c) 

upload the supporting documents, if needed; 

(d)  use the appointment tool to indicate available slots, if applicable; 

(e)  make application available to the consulate for further processing. 

An authentication scheme, reserved exclusively for external service providers, shall 
be set up by Member States in order to allow access to the gateway for the purposes 
of  this  Article  to  the  duly  authorised  staff  members.  When  setting  up  the 
authentication  scheme,  information  security  risk  management  and  the  principles  of 
data protection by design and by default shall be taken into account. 

The  Commission  shall  adopt  implementing  acts  to  lay  down  the  authentication 
scheme for external  service provider staff members. Those implementing acts  shall 
be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 49(2). 

Article 7f 
Notification of decisions 

Applicants and visa holders shall be notified of decisions taken by Member States on 
their applications or issued visas by secure electronic means. 

The  notifications  to  applicants  or  visa  holders,  as  applicable,  shall  contain  the 
following data: 

for visa issued: data listed in Articles 24, 25 or 26 of Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 
and Article 10 of this Regulation; 

for  visa  refused:  data  listed  in  Article  32  of  Regulation  (EC)  No  810/2009  and 
Article 12 of this Regulation; 

for visa confirmed : data listed in Article 32a of Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 and 
Article 12a of this Regulation; 

for  visa  extended :  data  listed  in  Article  33  of  Regulation  (EC)  No  810/2009    and 
Article 14 of this Regulation; 

2. 

3. 

1. 

2. 

(a) 

(b) 

(c) 

(d) 

EN 

41 

  EN 

(e) 

3. 

4. 

1. 

(a) 

(b) 

2. 

3. 

4. 

for  visa  annulled  or  revoked:  data  listed  in  Article  33  of  Regulation  (EC)  No 
810/2009 and Article 13 of this Regulation. 

The notification referred to in paragraph 2 shall contain a 2D barcode digitally signed 
by  the  issuing  authority,  and  the  facial  image  of  the  holder.  The  2D  barcode  shall 
contain the information referred to in paragraph 2. 

The notification shall be in printable format. 

The Commission shall adopt implementing acts to lay down technical specifications 
of the digital visas and the notification referred to in paragraph 1, including details on 
the  format  of  the  notification,  such  as  2D  barcode  and  printable  format.  Those 
implementing  acts  shall  be  adopted  in  accordance  with  the  examination  procedure 
referred to in Article 49(2). 

Article 7g 
Verification tool 

The verification tool shall allow applicants and visa holders to check: 

status of their application; 

status and validity of their visa. 

The  verification  tool  shall  be  based  on  the  secure  account  service  referred  to  in 
Article 7b(3). 

The EU application platform shall offer a web-service functionality for applicants to 
verify the digital visa without the secure account service. 

The Commission shall adopt implementing acts concerning the detailed rules on the 
conditions for the operation of the web service and the data protection and security 
rules  applicable  to  the  web  service,  including  unique  identifier  for  the  applicant. 
Those  implementing  acts  shall  be  adopted  in  accordance  with  the  examination 
procedure referred to in Article 49(2). ”; 

(4) 

in Article 9(4), the following points are added: 

“(na)  if  applicable,  the  fact  that  the  applicant  applies  as  a  family  member  of  UK 
nationals who is a beneficiary of the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement in the host State 
for which the visa application is made;  

(o) email address; 

(p) IP address from which the application form was submitted.”; 

(5) 

In Article 9b the following paragraph is added: 

“5.  Paragraphs  1  to  4  shall  apply  mutatis  mutandis  to  family  members  of  UK 
nationals who themselves are beneficiaries of the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement in 
the host State for which the visa application is made.”; 

(6) 

Article 10 is amended as follows: 

(a) 

in paragraph 1, point (e) is replaced by the following: 

“(e) visa number;”; 

(b) 

in paragraph 1, point (k) is deleted. 

(c) 

in paragraph 1, point (m) is added 

EN 

42 

  EN 

“(m) if applicable, the status of the person indicating that the third-country national is 
a  member  of  the  family  of  UK  national  who  is  a  beneficiary  of  the  EU-UK 
Withdrawal Agreement in the host State for which the visa application is made.”; 

(7) 

the following Article 12a is inserted: 

1. 

(a) 

(b) 

(c) 

(d) 

2. 

“Article 12a 
Data to be added for a visa confirmed 

Where a decision has been taken to confirm a visa, the visa authority that has taken 
the decision shall add the following data to the application file: 

status information; 

authority that confirmed the visa; 

place and date of the decision; 

new travel document data, including number, issuing country and  authority, issuing 
date, expiry date. 

Where  a  decision  has  been  taken  to  confirm  a  visa,  the  system  shall  immediately 
retrieve  and  export  from  the  VIS  into  the  EES  the  data  listed  in  Article  19(1)  of 
Regulation (EU)  (EU) 2017/2226.”; 

(8) 

in Article 14(1), point (d) is replaced by the following: 

“(d) visa number of the extended visa;”; 

(9) 

in Article 15(2), point (f) is replaced by the following: 

“(f) the visa number, long-stay visa or residence permit number and the date of issue 
of any previous visa, long-stay visa or residence permit;” 

(10) 

Article 18 is amended as follows: 

(a) 

in paragraph 1, point (b) is deleted; 

(b)  paragraph 3 is replaced by the following: 

“3.  By  way  of  derogation  from  paragraph  2  of  this  Article,  where  a  search  is 
launched in the EES pursuant to Article 23(2) or (4) of Regulation (EU) 2017/2226, 
the  competent  border  authority  may  search  the  VIS  without  making  use  of  the 
interoperability with the EES, where specific circumstances so require, in particular, 
where it is technically impossible, on a temporary basis, to consult the EES data or in 
the event of a failure of the EES.”; 

(11) 

the following Article 18e is inserted: 

“Article 18e 
Fall-back procedures in the case of a technical impossibility to access data at the external 
borders 

1. 

2. 

Where  it  is  technically  impossible  to  proceed  with  the  consultation  referred  to  in 
Article 18 because of a  failure of any  part of  VIS,  eu-LISA shall notify  the border 
authorities of the Member States. 

Where  it  is  technically  impossible  to  perform  the  search  referred  to  in  Article  18 
because  of  a  failure  of  the  national  border  infrastructure  in  a  Member  State,  the 

EN 

43 

  EN 

3. 

4. 

border  authorities  shall  notify  the  eu-LISA.  eu-LISA  shall  then  inform  the 
Commission. 

In cases referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article, the border authorities shall 
follow their national contingency plans. The national contingency plan may authorise 
the  border  authorities  to  derogate  temporarily  from  the  obligation  to  consult  VIS 
referred to in Article 8 of Regulation (EU) 2016/399.  

The  Commission  shall,  by  means  of  implementing  acts,  adopt  model  contingency 
plans  for  the  cases  referred  to  in  paragraphs  1  and  2  of  this  Article,  including  the 
procedures  to  be  followed  by  border  authorities.  Those  implementing  acts  shall  be 
adopted  in  accordance  with  the  examination  procedure  referred  to  in  Article  49(2). 
Member  States  shall  adopt  their  national  contingency  plans  using  the  model 
contingency plans as a basis, to be adapted as necessary at the national level.”; 

(12) 

in Article 19, paragraph 1 is replaced by the following: 

“1.  For  the  sole  purpose  of  verifying  the  identity  of  the  visa  holder  and/or  the 
authenticity of the visa and/or whether the conditions for entry to, stay or residence 
on  the  territory  of  the  Member  States  are  fulfilled,  the  authorities  competent  for 
carrying  out  checks  within  the  territory  of  the  Member  States  as  to  whether  the 
conditions  for  entry  to,  stay  or  residence  on  the  territory  of  the  Member  States  are 
fulfilled, shall have access to search with the number of the visa in combination with 
verification of fingerprints of the visa holder.  

Where  the  identity  of  the  visa  holder  cannot  be  verified  with  fingerprints  the 
competent authorities may also carry out the verification with the facial image.”; 

(13) 

in Article 20(2), point (d) is replaced by the following: 

the  data  entered  in  respect  of  any  visa  issued,  refused,  confirmed,  annulled, 

“(d) 
revoked or extended referred to in Articles 10 to 14.”; 

(14) 

in Article 21(2), point (d) is replaced by the following: 

the data entered in respect of any visa issued, confirmed, annulled, revoked or 

“(d) 
extended referred to in Articles 10, 12a, 13 and 14;”; 

(15) 

in Article 22(2), point (e) is replaced by the following: 

the data entered in respect of any visa issued, confirmed, annulled, revoked or 

“(e) 
extended referred to in Articles 10, 12a, 13 and 14;”; 

(16) 

in Article 22f(1), point (d) is replaced by the following: 

“(d) the visa number;”; 

(17) 

in Article 22o, paragraph 3 is amended as follows: 

(a) 

point (c) is replaced by the following: 

“(c) visa number or number  of the long-stay visa or residence permit  and the 
date of expiry of the validity of the visa, long-stay visa or residence permit, as 
applicable;”; 

(b) 

the following points (f) and (g) are added: 

 “(f) IP address; 

(g) email address.”; 

(18) 

in Article 22r, paragraph 3 is amended as follows:  

EN 

44 

  EN 

(a) 

point (c) is replaced by the following: 

“(c) visa number or number of the long-stay visa or residence permit and the date of 
expiry of the validity of the visa, long-stay visa or residence permit, as applicable;”; 

(b) 

the following points (f) and (g) are added: 

 “(f) IP address; 

(g) email address”; 

(19) 

in Article 45(2), the following points (g) to (o) are added: 

“(g)  for  defining  the  content  of  a  simplified  application  forms  for  confirmation  of 
valid visas in a new travel document and for extension of visas, in accordance with 
Article 7b; 

(h) for defining requirements concerning the format of the personal data in the online 
application form, in accordance with Article 7b; 

(i)  for  defining  the  technical  requirements  concerning  the  format  of  supporting 
documents,  travel  medical  insurance  and  copy  of  travel  document  in  electronic 
format to  be provided via the EU application platform,  in  accordance  with  Articles 
7c and 7ba; 

(j)  for  defining  the  requirements  concerning  the  payment  tool,  including  the 
reimbursement modalities for applicants, in accordance with Article 7d; 

(k) for defining the requirements concerning the appointment tool referred, including 
the modalities for confirmation of appointments, and the link to existing appointment 
tools or information on walk-in appointments to be configured by the consulates or 
external service providers, in accordance with Article 7d; 

(l)  for  laying  down  the  authentication  scheme  for  external  service  provider  staff 
members using the External service provider gateway, in accordance with Article 7e; 

(m)  for  laying  down  technical  specifications  of  the  visas  in  digital  format,  and  the 
visa  notification,  including  details  on  the  format  of  the  notification,  such  as  2D 
barcode, printable format, in accordance with Article 7f; 

(n)  for  laying  down  detailed  rules  on  the  conditions  for  the  operation  of  the  web 
service  and  the  data  protection  and  security  rules  applicable  to  the  web  service,  in 
accordance with Article 7g; 

(o) for defining model contingency plans regarding fall-back procedures in the case 
of  a  technical  impossibility  to  access  data  at  the  external  borders,  including  the 
procedures to be followed by border authorities , in accordance with Article 18e.”; 

(20) 

in Article 48a(2), (3) and (6), the references to “Article 9, Article 9h(2), Article 9j(2) 
and  Article  22b(18)”  are  replaced  by  references  to  “Article  7b,  Article  9,  Article 
9h(2), Article 9j(2) and Article 22b(18)”. 

EN 

45 

  EN 

  
Article 3 
Amendments to Council Regulation (EC) No 1683/9566 

Regulation (EC) No 1683/95 is amended as follows: 

(1) 

Article 1 is replaced by the following: 

“Article 1 

Visas issued in conformity with Article 5 of this Regulation by the Member States which do 
not  issue  visas  in  digital  format  referred  to  in  Article  26a  of  Regulation  (EC)  No  810/2009 
shall  be  produced  in  the  form  of  a  uniform  format  (sticker).  They  shall  conform  to  the 
specifications set out in the Annex.”; 

(2) 

in Article 7, the following fourth paragraph is added: 

“The use the uniform visa format for purposes other than those covered by Article 5 
is  without  prejudice  to  issuing  visas  in  digital  format  referred  to  in  Article  26a  of 
Regulation (EC) No 810/2009.”. 

Article 4 
Amendments to Council Regulation (EC) No 333/200267  

In Article 1 of Regulation (EC) No 333/2002, paragraph 1 is replaced by the following:  

“1. This Regulation shall apply to Member States which do not issue visas in digital format 
referred to in Article 26a of Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 of the European Parliament and of 
the Council*. 

For the purposes of this Regulation, "form for affixing a visa" shall mean the document issued 
by  the  authorities  of  a  Member  State  to  the  holder  of  a  travel  document  which  is  not 
recognised by that Member State, to which its competent authorities affix a visa.”. 

_________ 

*  Regulation  (EC)  No  810/2009  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  13  July 
2009 establishing a Community Code on Visas (Visa Code) (OJ L 243 15.9.2009, p. 1).”. 

Article 5 
Amendments to Council Regulation (EC) No 694/200368  

Regulation (EC) No 694/2003 is amended as follows: 

(1) 

 Article 1 is replaced by the following: 

66 

67 

68 

Council Regulation (EC) No 1683/95 of 29 May 1995 laying down a uniform  format  for visas (OJ L 
164, 14.7.1995, p. 1). 
Council Regulation (EC) No 333/2002 of 18 February 2002 on a uniform format for forms for affixing 
the visa issued by Member States to persons holding travel documents not recognised by the Member 
State drawing up the form (OJ L 53, 23.2.2002, p. 4). 
Council  Regulation  (EC)  No  694/2003  of  14  April  2003  on  uniform  formats  for  Facilitated  Transit 
Documents (FTD) and Facilitated Rail Transit Documents (FRTD) provided for in Regulation (EC) No 
693/2003 (OJ L 99, 17.4.2003, p. 15). 

EN 

46 

  EN 

                                                 
“Article 1 

1. 

2. 

Facilitated Transit Documents (FTD) issued by the Member States as referred to in 
Article  2(1)  of  Regulation  (EC)  No  693/2003  shall  be  issued  in  digital  format 
referred  to  in  Article  26a  of  Regulation  (EC)  No  810/2009  of  the  European 
Parliament and of the Council * and shall have the same value as limited territorial 
validity visas with the purpose of transit. In addition, the digital format shall contain 
clear indication that the issued document is FTD. 

Facilitated Rail Transit Documents (FRTD) issued by the Member States as referred 
to in Article 2(2) of Regulation (EC) No 693/2003 shall be issued in digital format 
referred to in Article 26a of Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 and shall have the same 
value as limited territorial validity visas with the purpose of transit. In addition, the 
digital format shall contain clear indication that the issued document is FRT.”. 

__________ 

 *  Regulation  (EC)  No  810/2009  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the Council  of  13 July 
2009 establishing a Community Code on Visas (Visa Code) (OJ L 243 15.9.2009, p. 1).”. 

(2) 

In Article 2(1), the first subparagraph is replaced by the following: 

“1.  Further  technical  specifications  for  the  digital  format  for  FTD  and  FRTD, 
including  relating  to  the  following,  shall  be  established  in  accordance  with  the 
procedure referred to in Article 4(2): ”; 

(3) 

In Article 6, the first subparagraph is replaced by the following: 

“2. Member States which have decided to do so shall issue the digital format for FTD 
and FRTD as referred to in Article 1 no later than one year after the adoption of the 
additional security features and requirements referred to in Article 2.”. 

Article 6 
Amendment to the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement69  

Article 18 of the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement is amended as follows: 

(1) 

paragraph 1 is replaced by the following: 

“1. Visas for stays exceeding 90 days (long-stay visas) shall be national visas issued 
by one of the Member States in accordance with its national law or Union law. Such 
visas shall be in issued digital format referred to in Article 26a of Regulation (EC) 
No 810/2009.  

By  way  of  exception,  Member  States  which  do  not  issue  visas  in  digital  format 
referred  to  in  Article  26a  of  Regulation  (EC)  No  810/2009  shall  issue  visas  in  the 
uniform format for visas as set out in Council Regulation (EC) No 1683/95  ( * ) with 
the heading specifying the type of visa with the letter “D”. They shall be filled out in 
accordance  with  the  relevant  provisions  of  Annex  VII  to  Regulation  (EC)  No 
810/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 July 2009 establishing 
a Community Code on Visas (Visa Code).”; 

(2) 

the following paragraph 1a is inserted: 

69 

Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement of 14 June 1985 between the Governments of the 
States of the Benelux Economic Union, the Federal Republic of Germany and the French Republic on 
the gradual abolition of checks at their common borders (OJ L 239, 22.9.2000, p. 19). 

EN 

47 

  EN 

                                                 
“1a.  Long-stay  visas  issued  in  digital  format  shall  be  notified  to  applicants  by 
electronic means in accordance with Article 7f of Regulation (EC) No 767/2008.”.  

Article 7 
Amendment to Council Regulation (EC) No 693/200370 

Regulation (EC) No 693/2003 is amended as follows: 

(1) 

in Article 2, paragraph 3 is replaced by the following: 

“3.  The  FTD/FRTD  shall  be  issued  in  digital  format  referred  to  in  Article  26a  of 
Regulation (EC) No 810/2009* 

__________ 

* Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 
July 2009 establishing a Community Code on Visas (Visa Code) (OJ L 243 15.9.2009, 
p. 1).”; 

(2) 

(a) 

Article 5 is amended as follows: 

In paragraph 1, the first sentence is replaced by the following: 

“The  application  for  an  FTD  shall  be  submitted  to  the  consular  authorities  of  a 
Member  State  which  has  communicated  its  decision  to  issue  the  FTD/FRTD  in 
accordance with Article 12. ”; 

(b) 

the following paragraph 5 is inserted: 

“5.  The  application  for  an  FTD  and  FRTD  shall  be  carried  out  using  an  online 
application    tool.  The  online  application  tool  shall  contain  data  referred  to  in 
paragraphs 3 and 4 of this Article.”. 

(3) 

in Article 6, paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 are replaced by the following: 

“2. No FTD/FRTD shall be issued for a travel document that has expired. 

3. The period of validity of the travel document for which the FTD/FRTD is issued 
shall be longer than that of the FTD/FRTD. 

4. No FTD/FRTD shall be issued for a travel document if that travel document is not 
valid  for  any  of  the  Member  States.  If  a  travel  document  is  only  valid  for  one 
Member State or for a number of Member States, the FTD/FRTD shall be limited to 
the Member State or Member States in question.”. 

Article 8 
Amendments to Regulation (EU) 2017/2226 of the European Parliament and of the Council71  

Regulation (EU) 2017/2226 is amended as follows: 

70 

71 

Council  Regulation  (EC)  No  693/2003  of  14  April  2003  establishing  a  specific  Facilitated  Transit 
Document  (FTD),  a  Facilitated  Rail  Transit  Document  (FRTD)  and  amending  the  Common  Consular 
Instructions and the Common Manual (OJ L 99, 17.4.2003, p. 8). 
Regulation  (EU)  2017/2226  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  30  November  2017 
establishing an Entry/Exit System (EES) to register entry and exit data and refusal of entry data of third-
country nationals crossing the external borders of the Member States and determining the conditions for 
access  to  the  EES  for  law  enforcement  purposes,  and  amending  the  Convention  implementing  the 
Schengen  Agreement  and  Regulations  (EC)  No  767/2008  and  (EU)  No  1077/2011  (OJ  L  327, 
9.12.2017, p. 20). 

EN 

48 

  EN 

                                                 
(1) 

in Article 16(2), point (d) is replaced by the following: 

“(d) where applicable, the short-stay visa number, including the three letter code of 
the issuing Member State, the type of short-stay visa, the end date of the maximum 
duration  of  the  stay  as  authorised  by  the  short-stay  visa,  which  shall  be  updated  at 
each entry, and the date of expiry of the validity of the short-stay visa;” 

(2) 

Article 19 is amended as follows:,  

(a) 

in paragraph 1, point (d) is replaced by the following: 

“(d)  where  applicable,  the  new  visa  number,  including  the  three  letter  code  of  the 
issuing country;”; 

(b) 

the following paragraph 7 is added: 

“7.  Where  a  decision  has  been  taken  to  confirm  a  valid  visa  in  a  new  travel 
document, the visa authority which has taken the decision shall immediately retrieve 
the  data  provided  for  in  paragraph  1  of  this  Article  from  the  VIS  and  import  them 
directly  into  the  EES  in  accordance  with  Articles  12a  of  Regulation  (EC)  No 
767/2008.”. 

(3) 

in Article 24(2), point (b) is replaced by the following: 

“(b) the short-stay visa number, including the three letter code of the issuing Member 
State referred to in Article 16(2), point (d);”; 

(4) 

in Article 32(5), point (c) is replaced by the following: 

“(c) visa number and the date of expiry of the validity of the visa;”. 

1. 

2. 

1. 

Article 9 
Evaluation of the EU application platform 

Five  years  after  the  date  of  start  of  operations  according  to  Article  12  of  this 
Regulation,  the  Commission  shall  evaluate  the  operation  of  the  EU  application 
platform.    This  evaluation  shall  include  an  examination  of  the  results  achieved 
against  objectives  and  of  the  implementation  of  the  provisions  of  Regulation  (EC) 
No 810/2009 and Regulation (EC) No 767/2008, as amended by this Regulation. 

The  Commission  shall  transmit  the  evaluation  referred  to  in  paragraph  1  to  the 
European  Parliament  and  the  Council.  On  the  basis  of  the  evaluation,  the 
Commission shall submit, where necessary, appropriate proposals. 

Article 10 
Start of operations of the EU application platform 

The  Commission  shall  determine  the  date  from  which  operations  of  the  EU 
application platform  start pursuant to this Regulation, once the following conditions 
have been met: 

(a) 

the measures referred to in Article 1, point (31) and Article 2, points (19) and 
(20)  have been adopted; 

(b) 

eu-LISA has declared the successful completion of a comprehensive tests; 

EN 

49 

  EN 

 
 
2. 

3. 

(c) 

eu-LISA has validated the technical and legal arrangements and notified them 
to the Commission. 

The Commission decision referred to in paragraph 1 shall be published in the Official 
Journal of the European Union. 

By  way  of  derogating  from  paragraph  1,  and  without  prejudice  to  issuing  visas  in 
digital format, a Member State may, for a period of 5 years from the date referred to 
in paragraph 1, decide not to avail itself of the EU application platform. 

In this case, the Member State shall notify the Commission regarding its decision not 
to  avail  itself  of  the  EU  application  platform  during  the  transition  period.  The 
Commission  shall  publish  the  notification  in  the  Official  Journal  of  the  European 
Union.  

During  this  transitional  period,  visa  holders  shall  be  able  to  verify  the  digital  visas 
using the web-service of the online visa application platform, referred to  in  Article 
7g  of  Regulation  (EC)  No  767/2008  if  the  Member  State  processing  their  visa 
application decided not to avail itself of the EU application platform. 

4. 

A  Member  State  may  notify  the  Commission  and  eu-LISA  that  it  wishes  to  avail 
itself of the EU application platform before the end of the transition period referred 
to in paragraph 3.  

The  Commission  shall  determine  the  date  from  which  this  shall  be  applicable.  The 
Commission  decision  shall  be  published  in  the  Official  Journal  of  the  European 
Union. 

Article 11 
Entry into force 

This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in 
the Official Journal of the European Union. 

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in the Member States in 
accordance with the Treaties. 

Done at Brussels, 

For the European Parliament 
The President 

For the Council 
The President 

EN 

50 

  EN 

LEGISLATIVE FINANCIAL STATEMENT 

1. 

FRAMEWORK OF THE PROPOSAL/INITIATIVE  

1.1. 

Title of the proposal/initiative 

Digitalisation of Visa Procedures 

1.2. 

Policy area(s) concerned  

Home Affairs 

1.3. 

The proposal/initiative relates to:  

 a new action  

 a new action following a pilot project/preparatory action72  

 the extension of an existing action  

 a merger or redirection of one or more actions towards another/a new action  

1.4. 

Objective(s) 

1.4.1.  General objective(s) 

The general objective of the initiative is to contribute to the digitalisation of public 
services,  making  Europe  fit  for  the  digital  age  as  well  as  to  contribute  to  a  secure, 
safe and resilient EU and to make the EU a more attractive destination for travellers 
and enhance its perception as a single  geographical  entity  applying a common visa 
policy. 

1.4.2. 

Specific objective(s) 

Specific  objective  N°1:  To  modernise,  simplify  and  harmonise  the  visa  application 
process for Member States and TCNs by digitalising the visa procedure 

Specific objective N°2: To reduce risks of (identity) fraud, forgery and facilitate the 
verification process at the border through digitalisation 

To  achieve  these  specific  objectives,  the  proposal  includes  the  creation  of  a  single 
EU  Visa  application  platform  and  the  implementation  of  a  digital  visa  instead  of  a 
visa sticker. 

1.4.3.  Expected result(s) and impact 

Specify the effects which the proposal/initiative should have on the beneficiaries/groups targeted. 

The proposal would have a positive impact on EU travel and GDP with an additional 
GDP of EUR 53.3 billion on the 2025-2029 period, as it would mark the transition 
from  a  largely  paper-based  application  process  to  a  truly  digital  and  largely 
harmonised process.  

The EU visa application platform would benefit Member States by decreasing time 
spent processing visa applications for consulates and filing the paper applications in 

72 

As referred to in Article 58(2)(a) or (b) of the Financial Regulation. 

EN 

51 

  EN 

 
 
                                                 
the  archive.    The  digital  visa  would  improve  the  internal  security  of  the  Schengen 
area, as the visa sticker could no longer be falsified, and would considerably reduce 
the administrative burden on Member States’ central authorities and consulates, who 
would  no  longer  have  to  spend  time  and  money  on  manufacturing,  ordering  and 
securely  transporting  visa  stickers  to  the  consulates.  Overall,  according  to  the  cost 
benefit analysis carried out in the context of the impact assessment, Member States 
would save EUR 553 million in administrative costs on the 2025-2029 period. 

Finally, visa applicants would also benefit from the proposal. Repeat visa applicants 
would no longer need to  incur the cost  of travel  to  apply for a visa,  and applicants 
would  keep  their  travel  documents  with  them  throughout  the  application  process. 
Each applicant would save 31 per application out of a total of EUR 74 spent for each 
application. 

1.4.4. 

Indicators of performance 

Specify the indicators for monitoring progress and achievements. 

Indicator  1:  Share  of  the  applications  submitted  through  the  EU  visa  application 
platform out of the total Schengen visa applications.  

Target: 95% at the end of the transition period (31 December 2030) 

Indicator 2: Share of digital visas issued out of the total number of visas issued. 

Target: 100% at the entry into force of the EU Visa application platform (1 January 
2026) 

Indicator 3: Percentage of visa applications submitted with External Service Provider 
(ESPs) intervention – 90% 

Target:  75%  of  visa  application  submitted  without  ESP  intervention-  at  the  end  of 
transition period (31 December 2030) 

1.4.4.1.  Effectiveness  and  timeliness:  indicators  should  allow  to  monitor  performance  by 
providing information on progress on a regular basis and on achievements along the 
programming period. 

1.4.4.2.  Efficiency:  processes  should  be  optimized  for  collection  and  processing  of  data, 

avoiding unnecessary or duplicative requests for information 

1.4.4.3.  Relevance  of  the  indicators  and  the  need  to  limit  the  associated  administrative 

burden. 

1.4.4.4.  Clarity:  indicators  should  be  delivered  in  a  clear  and  understandable  form,  with 
supporting  metadata  and  in  a  form  that  facilitates  proper  interpretation  and 
meaningful communication. 

Each indicator should be accompanied by targets and baseline. 

EN 

52 

  EN 

 
 
 
 
 
1.5. 

Grounds for the proposal/initiative  

1.5.1.  Requirement(s) to be met in the short or long term including a detailed timeline for 

roll-out of the implementation of the initiative 

The  proposal  on  digitalisation  of  visa  Procedure  was  announced  in  the  2018 
Commission  communication  on  Visa  Policy.  The  New  Pact  on  Migration  and 
Asylum  proposed  by  the  Commission  on  23  September  2020  set  the  objective  of 
making the visa procedure fully digitalised by 2025, with a digital visa and the ability 
to submit visa applications online. 

Following the adoption of legislation by the colegislators  (at the latest end 2023), the 
development of the EU Visa application platform by the European Union Agency for 
the  Operational  Management  of  Large-Scale  IT  Systems  in  the  Area  of  Freedom, 
Security  and  Justice  (eu-LISA)  could  start  and  would  last  two  years  (2024-2025). 
This development would rely on lessons learnt from the development of a  platform 
prototype by eu-LISA in 2020-2021.  

Meanwhile, Member States would carry out the necessary investments to connect to 
the  EU  Visa  application  platform  and  implement  the  digital  visa  and  be  ready  for 
beginning  of  2026  when  the  Visa  application  platform  could  go  live.  For  those 
Member States who would chose not to use the EU Visa application platform as from 
beginning  2026,  they  would  have  still  two  years  to  carry  out  the  necessary 
investments,  possibly  phase  out  their  national  portals  and  use  the  single  EU  visa 
application platform for their applications. 

In 2026, the EU visa application platform and the digital  visa would  coexist.  After 
the  end  of  the  transition  period  (end  2028),  all  visa  applications  would  be  lodged 
online throught the EU visa application platform (except a few exceptionnal cases for 
which a paper procedure would remain possible).  

After  the  start  of  operations,  eu-LISA  will  have  to  regularly  update  the  EU  visa 
application platform and maintain it and Member States will have to do the same for 
their national components linked to the platform. 

1.5.2.  Added  value  of  Union  involvement  (it  may  result  from  different  factors,  e.g. 
coordination gains, legal certainty, greater effectiveness or complementarities). For 
the purposes of this point 'added value of Union involvement' is the value resulting 
from  Union  intervention  which  is  additional  to  the  value  that  would  have  been 
otherwise created by Member States alone. 

Reasons for action at European level (ex-ante)  

As  the  Schengen  visa  procedure  is  harmonised  at  EU  level  and  regulated  in  great 
detail  in  the  Visa  Code,  the  VIS  Regulation  and  the  uniform  format  for  visas 
Regulation,  the  shortcomings  identified  inte  context  of  the  impact  assessment  are 
inextricably  related to  existing EU legislation. The problems  identified are unlikely 
to  disappear  in  the  near  future  and  they  are  directly  related  to  the  current  legal 
provisions. For both aspects of the initiative (visa application procedure and format 
of the visa) by reason of scale, effects and impact of the envisaged actions, action to 
solve  these  problems  can  only  be  taken  efficiently  and  systematically  at  EU  level. 
The  continuation  of  current  situation,  where  Member  States  develop  (or  not)  their 

EN 

53 

  EN 

 
 
own  digital  tools  would  only  partially  solve  the  problems  identified.  Only  an 
intervention at EU level would generate greater added value. 

Expected generated Union added value (ex-post). By facilitating the visa application 
by  visa-required  third-country  nationals  through  a  single  EU  visa  application 
platform  with  less  costly  and  easier  application  procedures,  the  proposal  will 
decrease the application cost for visa applicants by 31 € on average per applicant (out 
of  74  €).  It  will  trigger  an  increase  in  travels  to  the  EU  compared  to  the  situation 
where the EU would not act. This will generate an increase in GDP contribution of 
visa-required travellers of 53.5 bn on the 2025-2029 period.  The creation of a single 
EU  visa  application  platform  used  by  all  Member  States  would  allow  savings  on 
queries by visa applicants and on the management of paper-based applications. The 
introduction  of  a  digital  visa  would  also  generate  savings  on  the  management  of 
paper  visa-stickers.  These  two  changes,  only  made  possible  by  EU  intervention 
would  allow  savings  of  EUR  553  million  for  all  Member  States  of  the  2025-2029 
period. By creating a single entry point for visa applications, it would also project a 
homogeneous image of the EU towards the outside world. 

1.5.3.  Lessons learned from similar experiences in the past 

The  lessons  learnt  from  the  introduction  of  the  Visa  Information  System  and  other 
large IT systems suggest that the introduction of a new large IT system can generally 
take longer than expected and that Member States must benefit from the support of 
EU  funding  to  finance  their  national  investments.  This  will  be  the  case  with  the 
Instrument for  Financial Support for Border Management and Visa Policy (BMVI) 
2021-2027 for which digitalisaiton of visa procedures has clearly been identified as a 
priority. 

1.5.4.  Compatibility  with  the  Multiannual  Financial  Framework  and  possible  synergies 

with other appropriate instruments 

The investments required at EU level and Member States level are compatible with 
the 2021-2027 multiannual financial framework with the use of the BMVI to finance 
these investments. 

1.5.5.  Assessment  of  the  different  available  financing  options,  including  scope  for 

redeployment 

The  appropriations  needed  to  finance  the  development  of  the  EU  visa  application 
platform  by  eu-LISA  (EUR  69.325  million)  have  not  been  planned  under  the  eu-
LISA MFF allocation, as this is a new proposal for which amounts were not known 
at  the  time  of  the  proposal.  It  is  proposed  to  reinforce  the  eu-LISA  budget  for  the 
amounts needed in 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 and 2027 by transferring appropriations 
from  the  corresponding  thematic  facilities  of  the  Border  Management  and  Visa 
Policy (BMVI). 

EN 

54 

  EN 

 
 
 
 
1.6. 

Duration and financial impact of the proposal/initiative 

limited duration  

–    in effect from [DD/MM]YYYY to [DD/MM]YYYY  

–    Financial  impact  from  YYYY  to  YYYY  for  commitment  appropriations  and 

from YYYY to YYYY for payment appropriations.  

 unlimited duration 

–  Implementation with a start-up/development period from 2024 to 2025, 

–  followed by full-scale operation as from 2026. 

1.7.  Management mode(s) planned73  

 Direct management by the Commission 

–   by its departments, including by its staff in the Union delegations;  

–    by the executive agencies  

 Shared management with the Member States  

 Indirect management by entrusting budget implementation tasks to: 

–   third countries or the bodies they have designated; 

–   international organisations and their agencies (to be specified); 

–   the EIB and the European Investment Fund; 

–   bodies referred to in Articles 70 and 71 of the Financial Regulation; 

–   public law bodies; 

–   bodies governed by private law with a public service mission to the extent that 

they are provided with adequate financial guarantees; 

–   bodies governed by the private law of a Member State that are entrusted with 
the  implementation  of  a  public-private  partnership  and  that  are  provided  with 
adequate financial guarantees; 

–    persons  entrusted  with  the  implementation  of  specific  actions  in  the  CFSP 

pursuant to Title V of the TEU, and identified in the relevant basic act. 

– 

If more than one management mode is indicated, please provide details in the ‘Comments’ section. 

Comments  

The  development  phase  of  the  EU  visa  application  platform  is  expected  to  last  two  years 
during  which  eu-LISA  will  develop  the  platform.  The  EU  visa  application  platform  will  be 
operational as from first January 2026.  

73 

Details of management modes and references to the Financial Regulation may be found on the 
BudgWeb site: 
https://myintracomm.ec.europa.eu/budgweb/EN/man/budgmanag/Pages/budgmanag.aspx  

EN 

55 

  EN 

 
                                                 
2. 

MANAGEMENT MEASURES  

2.1.  Monitoring and reporting rules  

Specify frequency and conditions. 

Shared management:  

Each  Member  State  shall  establish  a  management  and  control  systems  for  its 
programme and ensure the quality and the reliability of the monitoring system and of 
data on indicators, in accordance with the Common Provision Regulation (CPR). The 
Member States shall send each year an assurance package, which includes the annual 
accounts,  the  management  declaration  and  the  audit  authority's  opinions  on  the 
accounts, the management and control system and the legality and regularity of the 
expenditure declared in the annual accounts. This assurance package will be used by 
the Commission to determine the amount chargeable to the Fund for the accounting 
year.  A  review  meeting  between  the  Commission  and  each  Member  State  shall  be 
organised  every  two  years  to  examine  the  performance  of  each  programmes.  The 
Member  States  send  6  times  per  year  data  for  each  programme  broken  down  by 
specific  objectives.  These  data  refers  to  the  cost  of  operations  and  the  values  of 
common output and result indicators. 

The  Member  States  will  send  an  annual  performance  report,  which  should  set  out 
information  on  the  progress  in  the  implementation  of  the  programme  and  in 
achieving  the  milestones  and  targets.  It  should  also  raise  any  issues  affecting  the 
performance of the programme and describe the action taken to address them. 

At the end of the period, each Member States shall submit a final performance report. 
The final report should focus on the progress made towards achieving the objectives 
of  the  programme  and  should  give  an  overview  of  the  key  issues  that  affected  the 
programme’s  performance,  the  measures  taken  to  address  those  issues  and  the 
assessment of the effectiveness  of these measures.  In addition  it should  present  the 
contribution  of  the  programme  to  tackling  the  challenges  identified  in  the  relevant 
EU recommendations addressed to the Member State, the progress made in achieving 
the  targets  set  out  in  the  performance  framework,  the  findings  of  the  relevant 
evaluations  and  the  follow-up  given  to  those  findings  and  the  results  of  the 
communication actions.  

The  Commission  shall  carry  out  a  mid-term  and  a  retrospective  evaluation  of  the 
actions  implemented  under  this  Fund,  in  line  with  the  Common  Provisions 
Regulation. The mid-term evaluation should be based in particular on the mid-term 
evaluation of programmes submitted to the Commission by the Member States by 31 
December 2024. 

Indirect management  

The monitoring and reporting of the proposal will follow the principles outlined in eu-
LISA’s  Regulation,  Financial  Regulation  and  in  line  with  the  Common  Approach  on 
decentralised  agencies.  eu-LISA  must  notably  send  each  year  to  the  Commission,  the 
European  Parliament  and  the  Council  a  Single  Programming  Document  containing 
multi-annual and annual work programmes and resources programming. The Document 
sets  out  the  objectives,  expected  results  and  performance  indicators  to  monitor  the 
achievement of the objectives and the results. eu-LISA must also submit a Consolidated 
Annual  Activity  Report  to  the  management  board.  This  report  notably  includes 
information  on  the  achievement  of  the  objectives  and  results  set  out  in  the  Single 

EN 

56 

  EN 

Programming Document. The report must also be sent to the Commission, the European 
Parliament and the Council.  

Moreover, as outlined in Article 39 of eu-LISA’s Regulation, by 12 December 2023, and 
every  five  years  thereafter,  the  Commission,  after  consulting  the  Management  Board, 
shall evaluate, in accordance with the Commission’s guidelines, the performance of the 
Agency in relation to its objectives, mandate, locations and tasks. That evaluation shall 
also include an examination of the implementation of this Regulation and the way and 
extent  to  which  the  Agency  effectively  contributes  to  the  operational  management  of 
large-scale  IT  systems  and  to  the  establishment  of  a  coordinated,  cost-effective  and 
coherent IT environment at Union level in the area of freedom, security and justice. That 
evaluation  shall,  in  particular,  assess  the  possible  need  to  modify  the  mandate  of  the 
Agency and the financial implications of any such modification. The Management Board 
the 
may 
Commission. 

issue  recommendations  regarding  amendments 

this  Regulation 

to 

to 

2.2.  Management and control system(s)  

2.2.1. 

Justification of the management mode(s), the funding implementation mechanism(s), 
the payment modalities and the control strategy proposed 

Shared management 

As per the regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing, as 
part of the Integrated Border Management Fund, the instrument for financial support 
for  border  management  and  visa  will  be  managed  under  the  CPR  (Common 
Provision Regulation) rules.  

For shared management, the CPR builds on the management and control strategy in 
place for the 2014-2020 programming period but introduces some measures aimed at 
simplifying the implementation and reducing the control burden at the level of both 
beneficiaries and Member States.  

The novelties include:  

-  the  removal  of  the  designation  procedure  (which  should  allow  to  speed  up  the 
implementation of the programmes)  

- management verifications (administrative and on-the-spot) to be carried out by the 
managing  authority  on  a  risk-basis  (compared  to  the  100%  administrative  controls 
required  in  the  2014-2020  programming  period).  Furthermore,  under  certain 
conditions,  the  managing  authorities  may  apply  proportionate  control  arrangements 
in line with the national procedures.  

- conditions to avoid multiple audits on the same operation/expenditure  

The  programme  authorities  will  submit  to  the  Commission  interim  payment  claims 
based  on  expenditure  incurred  by  beneficiaries.  The  CPR  allows  the  managing 
authorities  to  carry  out  management  verifications  on  a  risk-basis  and  provides  also 
for specific controls (e.g. on-the-spot controls by the managing authority and audits 
of operations/expenditure by the audit authority) after the associated expenditure has 
been declared to the Commission in the interim payment claims. In order to mitigate 
the risk of reimbursing ineligible expenditure, the CPR lays down the Commission's 
interim  payments  to  be  capped  at  90%,  given  that  at  this  moment  only  part  of  the 

EN 

57 

  EN 

 
  
national  controls  have  been  carried  out.  The  Commission  will  pay  the  remaining 
balance  following  the  annual  clearance  of  accounts  exercise,  upon  receipt  of  the 
assurance  package  from  the  programme  authorities.  Any  irregularities  detected  by 
the  Commission  or  the  European  Court  of  Auditors  after  the  transmission  of  the 
annual assurance package may lead to a net financial correction. 

Indirect management 

Part  of  the  proposal  will  be  implemented  via  eu-LISA  budget  through  indirect 
management. 

Pursuant  to  the  principle  of  sound  financial  management,  the  budget  of  eu-LISA 
shall be implemented in compliance with effective and efficient internal control. eu-
LISA  is  therefore  bound  to  implement  an  appropriate  control  strategy  coordinated 
among appropriate actors involved in the control chain. 

Regarding  ex-post  controls,  eu-LISA,  as  a  decentralised  agency,  is  notably  subject 
to: 

- internal audit by the Internal Audit Service of the Commission; 

- annual reports by the European Court of Auditors, giving a statement of assurance 
as  to  the  reliability  of  the  annual  accounts  and  the  legality  and  regularity  of  the 
underlying transactions; 

- annual discharge granted by the European Parliament; 

-  possible  investigations  conducted  by  OLAF  to  ensure,  in  particular,  that  the 
resources allocated to agencies are put to proper use. 

As  partner  DG  to  eu-LISA,  DG  HOME  will  implement  its  Control  Strategy  on 
decentralised  agencies  to  ensure  reliable  reporting  in  the  framework  of  its  Annual 
Activity Report (AAR). While decentralised agencies have full responsibility for the 
implementation  of  their  budget,  DG  HOME  is  responsible  for  regular  payment  of 
annual contributions established by the Budgetary Authority. 

Finally,  the  European  Ombudsman  provides  a  further  layer  of  control  and 
accountability at eu-LISA. 

2.2.2. 

Information concerning the risks identified and the internal control system(s) set up 
to mitigate them 

No specific risks have been identified at this stage.  

For the part management under shared management, the general risks in relation to 
the implementation of the current programmes concerns the under-implementation of 
the Fund by the Member States and the possible errors derived from the complexity 
of  rules  and  weaknesses  in  management  and  control  systems.  The  draft  CPR 
simplifies the regulatory framework by harmonising the rules and management and 
control systems across the different Funds implemented under shared management. It 
simplifies  also  the  control  requirements  (e.g.  risk-based  management  verifications, 
possibility  for  proportionate  control  arrangements  based  on  national  procedures, 
limitations of audit work in terms of timing and/or specific operations) 

For  the  budget  implemented  by  eu-LISA,  a  specific  Internal  Control  Framework 
based on the  Internal Control Framework of the European Commission is required. 
The Single Programming Document must provide information on the internal control 
systems,  while  the  Consolidated  Annual  Activity  Report  (CAAR)  must  contain 

EN 

58 

  EN 

information  on  the  efficiency  and  effectiveness  of  the  internal  control  systems, 
including as regards risk assessment. The CAAR 2019 reports that, management of 
the  Agency  has  reasonable  assurance  that  appropriate  internal  controls  are  in  place 
and that they are functioning as intended. Throughout the year, the major risks were 
appropriately  identified  and  managed.  This  assurance  is  further  confirmed  by  the 
results of the internal and external audits performed. 

Another  level  of  internal  supervision  is  also  provided  by  eu-LISA’s  Internal  Audit 
Capability, on the basis of an annual audit plan notably taking into consideration the 
assessment  of  risks  in  eu-LISA.  The  Internal  Audit  Capability  helps  eu-LISA  in 
accomplishing  its  objectives  by  bringing  a  systematic  and  disciplined  approach  to 
evaluate  the  effectiveness  of  risk  management,  control,  and  governance  processes, 
and by issuing recommendations for their improvement. 

Moreover,  the  European  Data  Protection  Supervisor  and  eu-LISA’s  data  protection 
officer  (an  independent  function  attached  directly  to  the  Management  Board 
Secretariat) supervise eu-LISA’s processing of personal data. 

Finally,  as  partner  DG  of  eu-LISA,  DG  HOME  runs  an  annual  risk  management 
exercise  to  identify  and  assess  potential  high  risks  related  to  agencies’  operations, 
including eu-LISA. Risks considered as critical are reported annually in DG HOME 
management  plan  and  are  accompanied  by  an  action  plan  stating  the  mitigating 
action. 

2.2.3.  Estimation and justification of the cost-effectiveness of the controls (ratio of "control 
costs ÷ value of the related funds managed"), and assessment of the expected levels 
of risk of error (at payment & at closure)  

For the shared management part, the cost of controls is expected to remain the same 
or  potentially  be  reduced  for  Member  States.  For  the  present  programming  cycle 
2014-2020,  as  of  2017,  the  cumulative  cost  of  control  by  the  Member  States  is 
estimated  at  approximately  5%  of  the  total  amount  of  payments  requested  by  the 
Member States for the year 2017.  

This  percentage  is  expected  to  decrease  with  efficiency  gains  in  implementation  of 
the programmes and increase in payments to Member States.  

With  the  risk  based  approach  to  management  and  controls  being  introduced  in  the 
draft CPR coupled with enhanced drive to adopt simplified cost options (SCOs), the 
cost of controls for Member States is expected to be reduced further. 

For  eu-LISA,  the  ratio  of  “control  costs/value  of  the  related  funds  managed”  is 
reported on by the Commission. The 2020 AAR of DG HOME reports 0.21% for this 
ratio  in  relation  to  Indirect  Management  Entrusted  Entities  and  Decentralised 
Agencies, including eu-LISA. 

The European Court of Auditors confirmed the legality and regularity of eu-LISA’s 
annual  accounts  for  2019,  which  implies  an  error  rate  below  2%.  There  are  no 
indications that the error rate will worsen in the coming years. 

Moreover, article 80 of eu-LISA’s Financial Regulation provides for  the possibility 
for  the  agency  to  share  an  internal  audit  capability  with  other  Union  bodies 
functioning in the same policy area if the internal audit capability of a single Union 
body is not cost-effective. 

EN 

59 

  EN 

2.3.  Measures to prevent fraud and irregularities  

Specify existing or envisaged prevention and protection measures, e.g. from the Anti-Fraud Strategy. 

DG  HOME  will  continue  to  apply  its  Anti-Fraud  Strategy  in  line  with  the 
Commission's  Anti-Fraud  Strategy  (CAFS)  in  order  to  ensure  inter  alia  that  its 
internal anti-fraud related controls are fully aligned with the CAFS and that its fraud 
risk  management  approach  is  geared  to  identify  fraud  risk  areas  and  adequate 
responses.  

As  regards  shared  management,  Member  States  shall  ensure  the  legality  and 
regularity  of  expenditure  included  in  the  account  submitted  to  the  Commission.  In 
this  context,  Member  States  shall  take  all  required  actions  to  prevent,  detect  and 
correct  irregularities.  As  in  the  present  programming  cycle  2014-2020  Member 
States  are  obliged  to  put  in  place  procedures  for  detection  of  irregularities  and 
antifraud  coupled  with  the  specific  Commission  Delegated  Regulation  on  reporting 
of  irregularities.  Anti-Fraud  measures  will  remain  a  cross-cutting  principle  and 
obligation for Member States. 

For  indirect  management,  the  measures  related  to  combating  fraud,  corruption  and 
any  other  illegal  activities  are  outlined,  inter  alia,  in  article  50  of  eu-LISA’s 
Regulation and under Title X of eu-LISA’s Financial Regulation. 

eu-LISA shall notably participate in fraud prevention activities of the European Anti-
fraud Office and inform the Commission without delay on cases of presumed fraud 
and other financial irregularities – in line with its internal anti-fraud strategy. 

Moreover, as partner DG, DG HOME has developed and implemented its own anti-
fraud  strategy  on  the  basis  of  the  methodology  provided  by  OLAF.  Decentralised 
agencies, including eu-LISA, fall within the scope of the strategy. DG HOME 2020 
AAR  concluded  that  the  fraud  prevention  and  detection  processes  worked 
satisfactorily  and  therefore  contributed  to  the  assurance  on  the  achievement  of  the 
internal control objectives.  

EN 

60 

  EN 

 
3. 

3.1. 

ESTIMATED FINANCIAL IMPACT OF THE PROPOSAL/INITIATIVE  

Heading(s)  of  the  multiannual  financial  framework  and  expenditure  budget 
line(s) affected  

  Existing budget lines  

In order of multiannual financial framework headings and budget lines. 

Budget line 

Heading of  
multiannual  
financial  
framework 

Number 

Type of  
expenditure 

Diff./Non-
diff.74 

Contribution  

from 
EFTA 
countries
75 

from 
candidate 
countries76 

from third 
countries 

within the 
meaning of 
Article 21(2)(b) of 
the Financial 
Regulation  

4 

4 

4 

11.1002  –  European  Agency 
the 
Operational  Management  of  Large-Scale  IT 
Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and 
Justice (eu-LISA) 

for 

11.02.01  –  'Border  Management  and  Visa 
Instrument' 

11.01.01  –  Support  expenditure  for 
the 
"Integrated Border Management Fund (IBMF) 
— Instrument for financial support for Border 
Management and Visa Policy (BMVI)" 

  New budget lines requested  

Diff. 

NO 

NO 

YES 

NO 

Diff. 

NO 

NO 

YES 

NO 

Non-diff. 

NO 

NO 

YES 

NO 

In order of multiannual financial framework headings and budget lines. 

Budget line 

Type of 
expenditure 

Contribution  

Heading of 
multiannual 
financial 
framework 

Number  

[XX.YY.YY.YY] 

Diff./Non-
diff. 

from 
EFTA 
countries 

from 
candidate 
countries 

from third 
countries 

within the 
meaning of 
Article 21(2)(b) of 
the Financial 
Regulation  

YES/NO  YES/NO  YES/NO 

YES/NO 

74 
75 
76 

Diff. = Differentiated appropriations / Non-diff. = Non-differentiated appropriations. 
EFTA: European Free Trade Association.  
Candidate countries and, where applicable, potential candidates from the Western Balkans. 

EN 

61 

  EN 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
EUR million (to three decimal places) 

3.2. 

Estimated financial impact of the proposal on appropriations  

3.2.1. 

Summary of estimated impact on operational appropriations  

–    The proposal/initiative does not require the use of operational appropriations  

–    The proposal/initiative requires the use of operational appropriations, as explained below: 

Heading of multiannual financial  
framework  

4 

Migration and borders 

DG: HOME AFFAIRS 

 Operational appropriations  

11.10.02  -  European  Agency  for 
the 
Operational  Management  of  Large-Scale 
IT  Systems  in  the  Area  of  Freedom, 
Security and Justice (eu-LISA) 

11.02.01  –  'Border  Management  and  Visa 
Policy 

TOTAL appropriations 
for DG HOME AFFAIRS 

Year 
2024 

Year 
2025 

Year 
2026 

Year 
2027 

TOTAL 

Commitments 

(1a) 

 19.945  
 19.945  

 22.825  
 22.825  

 12.800  
 12.800  

 12.800  
 12.800  

 68.370  
 68.370  

Payments 

Commitments 

Payments 

Commitments 

Payments 

(2a) 

(1b) 

(2b) 

=1a+1b 
+3 

=2a+2b 

+3 

 33.400  
 19.661  

 50.958  
 34.260  

 14.100  
 12.420  

 14.100  
 12.292  

 112.558  
 78.633  

 53.345  

 73.783  

 26.900  

 26.900  

 180.928  

 39.606  

 57.085  

 25.220  

 25.092  

 147.003  

 TOTAL operational appropriations  

Commitments 

Payments 

(4) 

(5) 

 53.345  
 39.606  

73.783  
 57.085  

26.900  
 25.220  

180.928  
26.900  
 25.092   147.003  

EN 

62 

EN 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
  TOTAL  appropriations  of  an  administrative  nature 
financed from the envelope for specific programmes  

(6) 

TOTAL appropriations  
under HEADING 4 
of the multiannual financial framework 

Commitments 

=4+ 6 

Payments 

=5+ 6 

 53.345  
 39.606  

73.783  
 57.085  

26.900  
 25.220  

180.928  

26.900  
 25.092   147.003  

If more than one operational heading is affected by the proposal / initiative, repeat the section above: 

  TOTAL  operational  appropriations  (all 
operational headings) 

Commitments 

Payments 

 TOTAL appropriations of an administrative nature financed 
from  the  envelope  for  specific  programmes  (all  operational 
headings) 

(4) 

(5) 

(6) 

TOTAL appropriations  
under HEADINGS 1 to 6 
of the multiannual financial framework 
(Reference amount) 

Commitments 

=4+ 6 

Payments 

=5+ 6 

 53.345  
 39.606  

73.783  
 57.085  

26.900  
 25.220  

180.928  

26.900  
 25.092   147.003  

 53.345  
 39.606  

73.783  
 57.085  

26.900  
 25.220  

180.928  

26.900  
 25.092   147.003  

Heading of multiannual financial  

7 

‘Administrative expenditure’ 

EN 

63 

EN 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
framework  

This section should be filled in using the 'budget data of an administrative nature' to be firstly introduced in the Annex to the Legislative 
Financial Statement (Annex V to the internal rules), which is uploaded to DECIDE for interservice consultation purposes. 

Year 
N 

Year 
N+1 

Year 
N+2 

Year 
N+3 

Enter as many years as 
necessary to show the duration 
of the impact (see point 1.6)  

TOTAL 

EUR million (to three decimal places) 

DG: <…….> 

 Human resources  
 Other administrative expenditure  

TOTAL DG <…….> 

Appropriations  

TOTAL appropriations 
under HEADING 7 
of the multiannual financial framework  

(Total  commitments  = 
Total payments) 

Year 
2024 

Year 
2025 

Year 
2026 

Year 
2027 

TOTAL 

EUR million (to three decimal places) 

TOTAL appropriations  
under HEADINGS 1 to 7 
of the multiannual financial framework  

Commitments 

Payments 

 53.345  

73.783  

26.900  

26.900  

180.928  

 39.606  

 57.085  

 25.220  

 25.092  

147.003  

eu-LISA: breakdown of expenditure per title 

eu-LiSA 

EN 

64 

EN 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Title 1: Staff expenditure 

Title 2:  Infrastructure and operating 
expenditure  

Title 3: Operational expenditure 

TOTAL 

Appropriations 

2024 

2025 

2026 

2027 

Total 

CA 

PA 

CA 

PA 

CA 

PA 

CA 

PA 

0.520  

1.040  

1.040  

1.125  

3.725  

0.520  

1.040  

1.040  

1.125  

3.725  

11.760  

11.675  

23.435  

-    

-    

11.760  

11.675  

23.435  

19.425  

21.785  

41.210  

19.425  

21.785  

-                        -    

41.210  

19.945  

22.825  

12.800  

12.800  

68.370  

19.945  

22.825  

12.800  

12.800  

68.370  

These expenses will cover costs related to: 

 

 

development and maintenance of an EU visa application platform, 

gradual recruitment of additional 5 temporary agents (AD) and 5 contract agents for the development and maintenance of the EU visa 
application platform as from 2023. 

3.2.2.  Estimated output funded with operational appropriations  

Commitment appropriations in EUR million (to three decimal places) 

EN 

65 

EN 

 
 
  
         
         
         
             
            
         
         
         
             
            
  
  
       
           
          
                
                
       
           
          
       
       
  
  
          
       
       
                
          
       
       
       
           
          
  
       
       
       
           
          
  
 
 
 
 
Indicate objectives 
and outputs  



Phase 

Type 

 Year  

2024 

 Year  

2025 

 Year  

2026 

 Year  

2027 

 TOTAL  

Average 
cost 

r
e
b
m
u
N

 Cost  

r
e
b
m
u
N

 Cost  

r
e
b
m
u
N

 Cost  

r
e
b
m
u
N

 Cost  

r
e
b
m
u
N

 Cost  

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE NO 1: EU visa application platform (setting up and miantenance) 

 - Output  

 - Output  

 - Output  

 - Output  

 - Output  

 - Output  

 - Output  

 - Output  

 - Output  

 - Output  

 - Output  

 Design  

 Development  

 Testing  

 Deployment  

 Hardware&infrastructure  

 Initial set-
up  

 vis adaptation - initial migration  

 vis adaptation - synchronisation  

adaptation 

 vis 
infrastructure  

hardware  & 

and 

adaptation  + 
 Integration 
harware and infrastructure  (Member 
States)  

 Trainings (Member States)  

 recurring  costs  -  digital  application 
platform helpdesk, ad-hoc fixes,   

 recurring 
infrastructure  

costs 

hardware  & 

 recurring costs - licenses  

 - Output  

Maintenance  

6,562  

1,666  

3,108  

4,736  

1,252  

5,087  

           -    

2,193  

7,447  

7,564  

0,146  

0,148  

0,130  

0,132  

1,300  

1,300  

33,400  

50,100  

0,858  

8,228  

7,844  

6,339  

2,193  

15,011  

0,294  

0,261  

2,600  

83,500  

0,858  

7,031  

6,992  

14,023  

3,266  

3,287  

6,553  

EN 

66 

EN 

 
 
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
      
  
      
  
  
  
  
  
     
  
  
      
  
      
  
  
  
  
  
     
  
  
      
  
      
  
  
  
  
  
     
  
  
  
      
  
  
  
  
  
     
  
  
      
  
      
  
  
  
  
  
   
  
  
      
  
      
  
  
  
  
  
     
  
  
      
  
      
  
  
  
  
  
     
  
  
      
  
      
  
  
  
  
  
     
  
  
    
  
    
  
  
  
  
  
   
  
  
  
  
      
  
  
  
  
  
     
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
      
  
      
  
   
  
  
  
  
  
  
      
  
      
  
     
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
      
  
      
  
     
 - Output  

 maintenance  and  operation  costs  
(Member States)  

           -    

14,100  

14,100  

28,200  

 Subtotal for specific objective N°1   

53,345  

73,783  

26,900  

26,900  

180,928  

 SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE NO 2: Number Digital visa issued (million)  

2,504  

2,520  

5,024  

 Subtotal for specific objective N°2  

16,10  

           -    

18,10  

           -    

18,10  

           -    

18,10  

           -    

70,40  

           -    

 TOTAL for objectives 1 to 2  

 n/a  

53,345  

 n/a  

73,783  

 n/a  

26,900  

 n/a  

26,900  

 n/a  

180,928  

EN 

67 

EN 

 
 
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
    
  
   
  
    
  
    
  
    
  
    
  
 
  
 
  
  
  
    
    
    
    
 
  
 
 
 
3.2.3. 

Summary of estimated impact on administrative appropriations – DG HOME 

–    The  proposal/initiative  does  not  require  the  use  of  appropriations  of  an 

administrative nature  

–    The proposal/initiative requires the use of appropriations of an administrative 

nature, as explained below: 

EUR million (to three decimal places) 

Year 
N 77 

Year 
N+1 

Year 
N+2 

Year 
N+3 

Enter as many years as necessary to show the 
duration of the impact (see point 1.6) 

TOTAL 

HEADING 7 
of the multiannual 
financial framework 

Human resources  

Other administrative 
expenditure  

Subtotal HEADING 7 
of the multiannual 
financial framework  

Outside HEADING 778  
of the multiannual 
financial framework  

Human resources  

Other expenditure  
of an administrative 
nature 

Subtotal  
outside HEADING 7 
of the multiannual 
financial framework  

TOTAL 

The  appropriations  required  for  human  resources  and  other  expenditure  of  an  administrative  nature  will  be  met  by 
appropriations from the DG that are already assigned to management of the action and/or have been redeployed within the 
DG,  together  if  necessary  with  any  additional  allocation  which  may  be  granted  to  the  managing  DG  under  the  annual 
allocation procedure and in the light of budgetary constraints. 

77 

78 

Year N is the year in which implementation of the proposal/initiative starts. Please replace "N" by the expected first 
year of implementation (for instance: 2021). The same for the following years. 
Technical  and/or  administrative  assistance  and  expenditure  in  support  of  the  implementation  of  EU programmes 
and/or actions (former ‘BA’ lines), indirect research, direct research. 

EN 

68 

  EN 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
3.2.4. 

Summary of estimated impact on administrative appropriations – eu-LISA 

–    The  proposal/initiative  does  not  require  the  use  of  appropriations  of  an 

administrative nature  

–    The proposal/initiative requires the use of appropriations of an administrative 

nature, as explained below: 

EUR million (to three decimal places) 

Year 
2024 

Year 
2025 

Year 
2026 

Year 
2027 

TOTAL 

eu-LISA 

Human resources  

Other administrative 
expenditure  

TOTAL  

0.520  

1.040  

1.040  

1.125  

3.725  

0.520  

1.040  

1.040  

1.125  

3.725  

EN 

69 

  EN 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
         
         
         
             
            
 
 
 
 
 
         
         
         
             
            
3.2.4.1.  Estimated requirements of human resources – DG HOME 

–    The proposal/initiative does not require the use of human resources.  

–    The  proposal/initiative  requires  the  use  of  human  resources,  as  explained 

below: 

Estimate to be expressed in full time equivalent units 

Year 
N 

Year 
N+1 

Year 
N+2 

Year 
N+3 

Enter as many years as 
necessary to show the duration 
of the impact (see point 1.6) 

 Establishment plan posts (officials and temporary staff) 

20 01 02 01 (Headquarters and Commission’s Representation 
Offices) 

20 01 02 03 (Delegations) 

01 01 01 01  (Indirect research) 

 01 01 01 11 (Direct research) 

Other budget lines (specify) 

 External staff (in Full Time Equivalent unit: FTE)79 

20 02 01 (AC, END, INT from the ‘global envelope’) 

20 02 03 (AC, AL, END, INT and JPD in the delegations) 

XX 01  xx yy zz  80 

- at Headquarters 

- in Delegations  

01 01 01 02 (AC, END, INT - Indirect research) 

 01 01 01 12 (AC, END, INT - Direct research) 

Other budget lines (specify) 

TOTAL 

XX is the policy area or budget title concerned. 

The human resources required will be met by staff from the DG who are already assigned to management of the 
action  and/or  have  been  redeployed  within  the  DG,  together  if  necessary  with  any  additional  allocation  which 
may  be  granted  to  the  managing  DG  under  the  annual  allocation  procedure  and  in  the  light  of  budgetary 
constraints. 

Description of tasks to be carried out: 

Officials and temporary staff 

External staff 

79 

80 

AC=  Contract  Staff;  AL  =  Local  Staff;  END=  Seconded  National  Expert;  INT  =  agency  staff; 
JPD= Junior Professionals in Delegations.  
Sub-ceiling for external staff covered by operational appropriations (former ‘BA’ lines). 

EN 

70 

  EN 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
3.2.4.2.  Estimated requirements of human resources – eu-LISA 

–    The proposal/initiative does not require the use of human resources.  

–    The  proposal/initiative  requires  the  use  of  human  resources,  as  explained 

below: 

Estimate to be expressed in full time equivalent units 

eu-LISA  

2024 

2025 

2026 

2027 

Establishment plan posts (officials and temporary staff) 

AD 

External staff  

CA 

TOTAL for eu-LISA 

5 

3 

8 

5 

3 

8 

5 

3 

8 

5 

5 

5 

10 

5 

10 

Description of tasks to be carried out: 

IMPLEMENTATION PHASE (2024, 2025) 

6 FTEs (4 TA, 2 CA) will be needed for elaborating on specs/requirements solicitation as well 
as on analysis and design tasks in cooperation with the contractors, combining expertise in IT 
Architecture, Testing, Security & Data Protection,  

Project  &  Programme  Management  and  Business  Relationship  Management.  While  the 
profile  of  the  Project  Manager  is  succeeded  by  a  Product  Owner  profile  after  Entering  into 
Operations, smaller part of the allocation of PM profiles need to be maintained after entry into 
operations, mainly for product evolutions, adaptive maintenance projects and releases.  

2 FTEs (1 TA, 1 CA) combining different technical profiles will be needed already during the 
implementation phase in order to guarantee harmonization and embedding of the solution in 
the  existing  infrastructure  and  network  architecture,  components  and  standards.  Therefore, 
Infrastructure, Network, Data Centre Management Services and Product/Service Management 
profiles  have  been  considered.  Additionally,  effort  for  transversal  services  (procurement, 
finance & HR) has to been taken into account in the estimates for the implementation phase.  

OPERATIONS PHASE (2026, 2027) 

After entering into operations, 10 FTEs (5 TA, 5 CA) are required to ensure high availability 
of  the  services  provided  to  the  Member  States  through  robust  and  high-quality  24/7 
operational management. To guarantee a high continuity, most technical profiles used during 
the  implementation  phase  will  continue  working  on  the  product.  In  total,  operations  will 
require resources for 1st level support and 2nd level support, Security Management, Business 
Continuity  &  Data  Protection,  Test  &  Transition  Management,  Infrastructure,  Network  & 
Data Centre Management, Product/Service Owner Services as well as IT Architecture, Project 
Support and Business & Relationship Management. The tasks to be performed are related to 
the  management  of  platform,  infrastructure,  network,  security  etc.  during  day-to-day 
operations but also during the management of technical evolutions stemming from corrective 
and adaptive maintenance. 

EN 

71 

  EN 

 
 
 
 
3.2.5.  Compatibility with the current multiannual financial framework  

The proposal/initiative: 

–    can be fully financed through redeployment within the relevant heading of the 

Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). 

As the appropriations required for the development of the  EU visa application platform (2024/2025) 
and  recurring  costs  (as  from  2026)  have  not  been  planned  under  the  eu-LISA  budget,  the  funding 
required  for  the  development  and  maintenance  of  the  EU  Visa  application  platform  (EUR  68.370 
million  under  the  2021-2027  MFF)  will  be  made  available  via  bugdetary  offsetting  against  BMVI 
(11.02.01 – 'Border Management and Visa Instrument') for the corresponding amounts: 

The development and recurring costs at national level will be financed under the programmes of the 
BMVI. 

–    requires use of the unallocated margin under the relevant heading of the MFF 

and/or use of the special instruments as defined in the MFF Regulation. 

Explain  what  is  required,  specifying  the  headings  and  budget  lines  concerned,  the  corresponding 
amounts, and the instruments proposed to be used. 

–    requires a revision of the MFF. 

Explain what is required, specifying the headings and budget lines concerned and the corresponding 
amounts. 

3.2.6.  Third-party contributions  

The proposal/initiative: 

–    does not provide for co-financing by third parties 

–    provides for the co-financing by third parties estimated below: 

Appropriations in EUR million (to three decimal places) 

Year 
N81 

Year 
N+1 

Year 
N+2 

Year 
N+3 

Enter as many years as necessary 
to show the duration of the 
impact (see point 1.6) 

Total 

Specify  the  co-financing 
body  

TOTAL appropriations 
co-financed  

81 

Year N is the year in which implementation of the proposal/initiative starts. Please replace "N" by the 
expected first year of implementation (for instance: 2021). The same for the following years. 

EN 

72 

  EN 

Appropriations2024202520262027TotalCA=PA       19.945        22.825        12.800            12.800           68.370  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
3.3. 

Estimated impact on revenue  

–    The proposal/initiative has no financial impact on revenue. 

–    The proposal/initiative has the following financial impact: 

– 

– 

– 

 

 

on own resources  

on other revenue 

please indicate, if the revenue is assigned to expenditure lines  

Budget revenue line: 

Article …………. 

Appropriations 
available for 
the current 
financial year 

Year 
N 

p.m. 

     EUR million (to three decimal places) 

Impact of the proposal/initiative82 

Year 
N+1 

Year 
N+2 

Year 
N+3 

Enter as many years as necessary to show 
the duration of the impact (see point 1.6) 

For assigned revenue, specify the budget expenditure line(s) affected. 

11.1002 (eu-LISA), 11.0201 (BMVI) 

Other  remarks  (e.g.  method/formula  used  for  calculating  the  impact  on  revenue  or  any  other 
information). 

The  budget  shall  include  a  contribution  from  countries  associated  with  the 
implementation,  application  and  development  of  the  Schengen  acquis  and  the  visa 
digitalisation  related  measures  as  laid  down  in  the  respective  agreements  in  force. 
The estimates shall be based on calculations for revenues for the implementation of 
the Schengen acquis from the States that currently contribute (Iceland, Norway and 
Switzerland) to the general budget of the European Union (consumed payments) an 
annual  sum  for  the  relevant  financial  year,  calculated  in  accordance  with  its  gross 
domestic  product  as  a  percentage  of  the  gross  domestic  product  of  all  the 
participating  States.  The  calculation  shall  be  based  on  figures  from  EUROSTAT 
which are subject  to  considerable variation depending on the economic situation of 
the participating States. 

82 

As regards traditional own resources (customs duties, sugar levies), the amounts indicated must be net 
amounts, i.e. gross amounts after deduction of 20 % for collection costs. 

EN 

73 

  EN