Simpler Travel in Sight: Europe Discusses New Tourist Visa

Charlie Schengen Visa News 20 July 2025 | Updated On July 22, 2025 | 0

A new idea is gaining support in Europe: a European tourist visa that would make it easier for travelers to visit multiple EU countries in one trip.

On July 18, 2025, Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani supported a proposal from Greece’s Tourism Minister, Olga Kefalogianni, for a unified tourist visa. The proposal was announced at a tourism forum in Rome.

This new visa would allow visitors to travel to several EU countries — such as Greece, Italy, and France — using just one permit, instead of applying for separate or more complex Schengen visas.

Kefalogianni said the idea is especially aimed at attracting growing numbers of tourists from places like India and China.

She also said the visa would still follow all necessary EU security rules under the Schengen system.

What Makes It Different from the Schengen Visa?

The Schengen visa currently allows travel across 29 European countries, but it has strict and sometimes complicated rules.

The proposed European tourist visa would be more flexible, easier to apply for, and especially helpful for non-EU tourists planning multi-country trips.

Countries like Italy, Greece, and France — which rely heavily on tourism — are leading the effort to update and simplify travel rules.

In July 2025, Greece officially suggested creating this new visa to:

Make travel across Europe simpler
Attract more tourists from outside the EU
Promote Europe as a single travel destination

Kefalogianni pointed out that non-EU travelers currently face different entry rules depending on the country, which can make trip planning difficult.

Italy's “Jubilee Visa” Shows Early Support

Italy recently launched a special Jubilee-Tourism visa for 2025 pilgrims traveling to Rome.
Although it's not the same as the European tourist visa, it has similar goals — like offering online applications and easier rules for cultural visits.

This shows that Italy is open to modern, more welcoming visa policies for tourists.

France hasn’t made a public statement yet, but it generally supports efforts to:

Boost tourism
Simplify travel
Protect security

Its cooperation with Italy and Greece on other tourism issues suggests France might support the idea if it works well with existing Schengen rules.

Western Balkans Back the Plan

Countries like Albania, Serbia, Kosovo, and North Macedonia are also interested in the idea.

Although they’re not part of Schengen, they hope this new visa could help them attract more tourists, boost their economies, and get closer to the EU.

Travel industry groups and organisations such as Friends of the Western Balkans have also expressed strong support.

If more EU countries agree, this European tourist visa could change the way people travel across the continent — making it faster, easier, and more connected.

It would mark a major step toward making Europe feel like one destination, rather than a patchwork of entry rules and borders.

What are your thoughts on this issue? Talk to us in the comment section below. Or if you need more advice on the above, contact us for further travel & immigration advice.

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Charlie

Travel and Immigration Writer and Client Relationship Manager at IaM (Immigration and Migration)

Charlie is IaM’s resident Travel & Immigration Writer and Client Relationship Manager. They craft clear, engaging guides that demystify complex visa and migration rules - and then personally supports each client through every step of their journey.

Over the past 6+ years, with IaM, and working in the travel and immigration sector, Charlie has authored 200+ in-depth guides on Schengen, UK visas & other destinations they have relocated 1,000+ families safely through the system. A Clockwork Practitioner, Charlie also works hard to streamline operations and adheres to the mantra "Task Clients Well".

When they’re not translating policy into plain English, you’ll find them scouting new destinations, collecting local stories, and mastering a new language to better serve our global community.