The Council of the European Union has approved new rules for the processing of Schengen visas. On a special online platform it will be possible to enter all data, upload documents and pay the visa fee. Personal application to the consulate will be necessary for those applicants who get Schengen for the first time, whose biometric data are not in the system and who have just received a passport. Instead of a standard visa sticker, a barcode with a cryptographic signature will be placed in the passport. It is planned that the platform will start working in 2026.