The European Union can simplify procedures for requesting and issuing short-stay visas and will use the visa policy to encourage non-EU countries to cooperate on migration.
Parliament and Council negotiators informally agreed on a new EU Visa Code, establishing the procedures and conditions for issuing visas to nationals of more than one hundred non-EU countries travelling to the EU for short periods (up to 90 days in any 180-day period).
Visa applications will have to be submitted between 6 months (instead of the current 3 months) and 15 days ahead of the intended trip, except for seafarers who will be allowed to submit applications nine months in advance.
The general visa fee will increase from 60 to 80 euros -with a possible reduction for people under 18 year-old-, and children under 6, students and researchers will continue to be exempted of visa fee.
Additional facilities for well-known artists and high performance athletes touring in the EU, and multiple entry visas for frequent travellers.
The changes will be applicable six months after the text is published in the Official Journal of the EU.
