France has now started the service of Digital Schengen visa and has officially become the first country in the European Union to do so. France is planning to digitalise everything related to visas by the end of 2026. Initially the services have only been launched for members of the Olympic or Paralympic community. This includes judges, athletes, board members, associates, technicians, medical personals, or any other involved person. People falling under this category will not have to wait for visas in long lines. All they have to do is just show up at the visa centre and get accredited by showing their passport. On the other hand, any spectator who wants to enjoy the games will have to apply through the physical mode only. The digital visa has been launched to check its performance and viability. If it works out for the time being, then France will launch it for a bigger market segment before making visas fully digitalised.
