The European Commission has unveiled its first-ever long-term EU Visa Strategy, aimed at modernising visa policies, strengthening security, and enhancing Europe’s global competitiveness. The move comes at a time of rising global mobility, geopolitical tensions, and regional instability, prompting the EU to adopt a more structured and future-ready approach to managing travel and migration.
Security forms the foundation of the new strategy. The Commission plans to introduce a revised framework in 2026 to reassess visa exemptions granted to partner countries. A stronger Visa Suspension Mechanism will be implemented to prevent misuse of visa-free travel. The EU also intends to apply targeted visa restrictions for countries that fail to cooperate on migration and return policies, along with harmonised sanctions to tackle travel document fraud more effectively.
At the same time, the strategy focuses on boosting economic growth and simplifying travel processes. From late 2026, the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) will automate pre-departure checks for visa-free travellers, enhancing both efficiency and security. The EU also plans to fully digitalise visa procedures, allowing applicants to complete the entire process online. Business travel will be facilitated through verified company lists for faster visa approvals, and trusted travellers may benefit from longer-validity multiple-entry visas.
To further modernise border management, EU IT systems will become interoperable by 2028, enabling authorities to access multiple databases through a single search. This integration will improve information-sharing, reduce fraud risks, and ensure smoother travel experiences for legitimate visitors. The strategy also includes plans to integrate Artificial Intelligence tools into visa systems to strengthen efficiency and risk assessment capabilities.
In addition, the Commission has issued recommendations to attract highly skilled professionals, researchers, students, and start-up founders. The focus is on simplifying and accelerating long-stay visa procedures, digitising applications, reducing documentation requirements, and enabling smoother transitions from study or research to employment or entrepreneurship within the EU.
Key next steps include the rollout of ETIAS in 2026, full digitalisation of visa procedures, a review of multiple-entry visa policies, targeted restrictive measures for countries undermining EU security, the development of a common list of accepted third-country travel documents, and a comprehensive study on the role of external service providers in visa processing. Overall, the new visa strategy represents a major shift toward a more secure, efficient, and innovation-driven travel and migration framework for the European Union.
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