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REVEALED: EU plans digital-only Schengen visa application process

Soon those non-EU nationals requested to have a Schengen visa to travel to European countries will no longer need to go to a consulate to submit the application and get a passport sticker, but will be able to apply online.

Published: 10 May 2022 15:37 CEST

REVEALED: EU plans digital-only Schengen visa application process

A picture taken on September 28, 2021 in the Moroccan capital Rabat shows a Moroccan passport backdropped against a Schengen visa. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP)

The European Commission has proposed to make the Schengen visa process completely digital.

The special visa, which allows to stay for tourism or business (but not work) in 26 European countries for up to 90 days in any 6-month period.

Nationals of third countries such as South Africa, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka need the Schengen Visa to visit Europe, but they are not needed for other non-EU nationals such as Britons or Americans. You can see the full list of countries who need a Schengen visa here.

The proposal will have to be approved by the European Parliament and Council, but is in line with an agreed strategy that EU governments are keen to accelerate in the aftermath of the pandemic.

Once agreed, the system will be used by the countries that are part of the border-free Schengen area. These include EU countries, excluding Ireland (which opted out), and Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia and Cyprus (which do not issue Schengen visas). Iceland, Norway, Lichtenstein and Switzerland, which are not EU members but have signed the Schengen Convention, will be part of the new system too.

Paper-based processes required applicants to travel to consulates to submit the application and collect their passports with the visa, a procedure that “proved problematic during the COVID-19 pandemic,” the Commission said.

Some EU countries have already started to switch to digital systems but not all accept online payments for the visa fees.

When the new system will be in place, the Commission says, applicants will be able to check on the EU Visa Application platform whether they need a visa. If so, they will create an account, fill out the application form, upload the documents and pay.

The platform will automatically determine which Schengen country will be responsible for the application and applicants will be able to check their status and receive notifications. Travellers will then be able to access the visa online, and if needed extend it too.

“Half of those coming to the EU with a Schengen visa consider the visa application burdensome, one-third have to travel long distance to ask for a visa. It is high time that the EU provides a quick, safe and web-based EU visa application platform for the citizens of the 102 third countries that require short term visa to travel to the EU,” said Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson.

“With some member states already switching to digital, it is vital the Schengen area now moves forward as one,” said Commission Vice-President for Promoting our European Way of Life, Margaritis Schinas.

However, first-time applicants, people with biometric data that are no longer valid or with a new travel document, will still have to go to a consulate to apply.

Family members of citizens from the EU and the European Economic Area, as well as people who need assistance, will also be able to continue to apply on paper.

The EU Visa Application platform will be used from third countries whose nationals must be in possession of a visa to enter the EU and is different from the ETIAS (European Travel Information Authorisation), which is currently under development.

The ETIAS will be used by non-EU nationals who are exempt from visas but who will need to apply for a travel authorisation prior to their trip. This will cost 7 euros and will be free for people below the age of 18 and above 70.

Based on the discussion between the European Parliament and Council, the Commission could start developing the platform in 2024 and make it operational in 2026. EU countries will then have five years to phase out national portals and switch to the common online system.

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COMPARED: Germany’s Chancenkarte vs. Austria's Red-White-Red card for skilled non-EU workers

The skills shortages in Germany and Austria have become recent and urgent priorities for both governments. At least 124,000 jobs need filling in Austria and the government estimates the actual need could be double that number. Germany’s Labour Ministry estimates it currently needs to recruit around 400,000 foreign workers a year – just to keep up.

As two German-speaking countries, Germany and Austria are competing for a lot of the same skilled talent. So aside from the other aspects of living in either country – which one is offering a better visa regime?

Here, it depends a lot on your situation and priorities. As an example, each country’s EU Blue Card scheme works a little bit differently. Germany’s generally requires a higher minimum salary than Austria’s. But Germany’s also makes getting permanent residence later a little bit easier – so potential applicants have to consider some trade-offs.

The new German Chancenkarte, or ‘opportunity card’ – how it’s set to make looking for work in Germany easier

For those who aren’t necessarily eligible for an EU Blue Card in Germany or Austria, other types of work or jobseeker visas exist.

Foreign specialists looking for a job in Germany typically need a job offer related to their professional qualification, and the German employment agency must approve the job offer. Applicants older than 45 must also have an annual salary of at least €46,530 (2023 values) – if they are coming to Germany for the first time. Even this minimum salary is lower than the threshold needed for an EU Blue Card in Germany.

But what if you don’t have a formal job offer?

The current traffic light government of the Social Democrats (SPD), Greens, and liberal Free Democrats (FDP) wants skilled people to also be able to come to Germany to look for work. The Chancenkarte – set to pass the Bundestag in the next few months – is designed to help non-EU nationals do this on a points basis.

German Bundestag

The German Bundestag is set to pass the new “opportunity card” or Chancenkarte – in the next few months, allowing some skilled workers to come to Germany to look for work even without a job offer. Photo: Felix Mittermeier/Pixabay

To be eligible for it, applicants have to broadly fulfill three out of these four conditions – meaning that applicants could still be considered for the Chancenkarte if they don’t have a formal job offer and are still missing one of these:

A university degree or professional qualification
Professional experience of at least three years
German language skills or previous residence in Germany (higher language skills give more points)
Under 35 years-old

The Chancenkarte thus differs from the current jobseeker visa, which lets people come to Germany to look for work if they have:

a qualification recognised in Germany and a practice permit for a regulated profession
proof a German language skills (typically to B1 level)
proof of ability to pay living costs

Designed to be more flexible, in the right circumstances, a future Chancenkarte holder could end up including a young person who has no university degree but both language skills and work experience. The German employer may be able to then hire this person, if they can work out a plan that allows the employee to upgrade their qualifications accordingly for the German job market.

Other future Chancenkarte holders might also include someone who doesn’t yet speak German but who is young with both a university degree and job experience, or a recent graduate with no experience but has appropriate language skills.

The government is looking to give Chancenkarte holders the ability to look for a job in Germany for one year. That’s longer than the current jobseeker visa’s six-month term. Holders are also allowed to engage in part-time or trial employment, allowing the employer to get to know the potential employee before hiring them on full-time.

Austria’s “Red-White-Red” card – the advantages for certain professions

Because Germany’s Chancenkarte is still in the draft law phase – even if expected to be approved soon – we know a lot more about the specifics of Austria’s Red-White-Red card.

Firstly, Germany’s Chancenkarte is designed for flexibility and is intended to allow potential skilled workers to come to the country even if they don’t have a job offer. By contrast, most applicants for an Austrian Red-White-Red card must have a job offer. Austria’s Red-White-Red card is also more specifically targeted, maintaining different points schemes for different types of skilled workers.

Furthermore, Austria’s point system for the Red-White-Red card gives additional advantages to graduates in STEM subjects like math, engineering, natural sciences or technology – if they are applying under the “Very Highly Qualified Workers” scheme of the Red-White-Red card.

At the same time, a Red-White-Red applicant in a “shortage occupation,” may find it slightly easier than other applicants to get enough points to qualify for a Red-White-Red card. Shortage occupations include many types of experts who will have had a high level of academic advanced education – like engineers or physicians. But many shortage occupations in Austria also include skilled workers with vocational training, such as roofers, masseuses, bakers, and carpenters. Some shortage occupations are Austria-wide, while others are region-specific. You can find the full list at the available links.

Most non-EU applicants for Austria’s points-based Red-White-Red card will need to secure a job offer before getting the card, unlike with Germany’s planned Chancenkarte. Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko from Pexels

Certain “Other Key Workers” may also be able to apply for a Red-White-Red card, provided they have enough points, no equally qualified registered jobseeker at the Public Employment Service can be placed, and they are paid a minimum monthly salary of €2,925. Certain seasonal workers can also apply if they’ve worked for at least seven months of the last two years in that occupation and have at least A2 level German. These people also need job offers.

The only potential Red-White-Red applicants who don’t need job offers are self-employed key workers and start-up founders. Both of these applicants though, need to prove a minimum level of capital, amongst other requirements.

Successful applicants for a Red-White-Red card may then work in Austria for up to two years, at which point they may apply to extend their work permission through a Red-White-Red Plus card, which gives the holder unlimited access to the Austrian labour market that isn’t bound to any specific employer.

German – and English – language skills: How the Chancenkarte and Red-White-Red value languages

The other big difference between the German Chancenkarte and the Austrian Red-White-Red revolves around the points awarded for German or English skills.

In general, Austria’s Red-White-Red tends to require a lower level of German language skills in order to achieve points in an applicant’s favour. For example, applicants in shortage occupations will get five points for the most basic level of German – A1. That increases to 10 points for A2 and 15 points for B1 – to a maximum possible 15 points from German language skills.

By contrast, the current draft plans for the German Chancenkarte would require an applicant to have C1 German – the second-highest possible level – to get maximum points under language skills. Even B2 German – an upper intermediate level where speakers can begin to make advanced arguments – only yields a Chancenkarte hopeful partial points.

A German for Dummies language book sits atop a desk next to a pen and a cup of coffee. Photo by Jan Antonin Kolar on Unsplash

Getting points for language skills is generally easier under Austria’s Red-White-Red card system than Germany’s proposed Chancenkarte. Photo by Jan Antonin Kolar on Unsplash

Furthermore, Austria places English language skills on a mostly equal footing with German language skills – with basic A1 English being enough to get some workers partial points under the Austrian Red-White-Red scheme. A skilled worker looking to apply under Red-White-Red who can speak both English and German at a B1 level would already achieve the maximum number of points an applicant can get from languages under the Austrian Red-White-Red system.

By comparison, the German government has not announced plans to give out points under the Chancenkarte system specifically for English language skills, even if some applicants will be able to get enough points to get one even without speaking German at a high level. We should stress though, that the German Chancenkarte legislation is still in the draft phase and could change in some ways before it’s passed.

Flexibility and language trade-offs

The German Chancenkarte may ultimately end up being a more flexible option for skilled workers who want to come to Germany first before they commit to any one particular employer. It may also end up being more favourable for people who don’t come from the shortage professions that Austria is specifically targeting, for example. By contrast, getting a Red-White-Red card in Austria almost always requires a specific job offer.

Yet some applicants who snag a job offer may find it easier to qualify for Austria’s Red-White-Red card if they have a lower level of German language skills – particularly if they can speak English – which Austria’s points system values in a way that Germany isn’t considering.

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