Proposals on the reform of the European Union visa policy

The EU common policy related to short-term visas in the Schengen area involves harmonised rules regarding visa requirements for nationals of third countries.

On March 14th 2018, the European Commission submitted proposals to reform the European Union visa policy, with the objective, in particular, to simplify the formalities for the obtention of Schengen visas (including visas issued for business purposes) and making the issuance of such visas faster and safer.

The proposals include for instance:

• Shorten the visa processing time from 15 to 10 days ;
• Possibility to apply for a visa up to 6 months before the scheduled trip (up to 3 months now)
• Issuance of multiple-entry visas with longer period of validity, including 5-year visas, for regular trusted travellers.