Good news for Indians travelling to Europe in 2026, EU rolls out two BIG changes in Schengen visa, no longer require...

Travelling to Europe in 2026? European Union has made huge changes in the Schengen visa rule. You will no longer find a Schengen visa stickers on your passport, rather your visa may soon arrive as a barcode on your phone or email. This digitalization ensures that travelling to Europe across man countries can become a lot easier and quick, with less of paperwork. This is a big relief to Indian and UAE tourists, as per Business today. Here's two big updates.

1. Digital Schengen Visa: European Union is planning to replace e sticker visa, and introducing a digital barcode visa. This process has been tested, where France issued 70,000 digital visas during 2024 Paris Olympics. Travellers received a secure barcode as visa.  By 2026, most people will be able to, upload documents online, pay visa fees digitally, track the visa application status and receive a digitally signed barcode as their visa. EU aims to leverage this digitalized visa system by 2028. 
2. New Digital Border Controls (EES and ETIAS)

• EES- EU has launched two border control systems that include EES (Entry/Exit System), that will be introduced in October 2025. This will replace passports stamps with biometric checks like fingertips and facial scans.
• ETIAS- European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) will be launched by end of 2026. It will require visafree travelers (US or UUAE passport holders) to fill out an online form before entering Europe. 

A new tourist visa under discussions

Some EU members like Italy, Greece and France are in favour of a new kind of 'European Tourist Visa', that allows easier travel, cut down a lot of paperwork and cover both Schengen and non-Schengen countries.

Good news for Indians?

The Indian travellers can make use of this new policy, and are likely the most beneficiary. You will no longer require intensive paperwork, and everything will get digitalized and online. Moreover, Indians , with good travel history, are now eligible for longterm visas of up to 5 years under Schengen visa cascade scheme.