The European Commission on 29 January unveiled its inaugural EU Visa Strategy, a policy blueprint that will shape how Schengen states issue short- and long-stay visas over the next decade. Although the document is framed as a general roadmap, its recommendations—ranging from full digitalisation of visa processing to incentives for attracting high-skilled talent—carry immediate implications for Brazilian citizens, multinationals and mobility managers.
Under the plan the Commission will fund member-state projects that move application forms, biometric capture and fee payment fully online by 2030. Today, nearly 300,000 Brazilians apply for Schengen visas each year, most of them submitting paper forms at outsourced visa centres. A shift to end-to-end digital filing promises shorter queues, lower courier costs and more transparent tracking for corporate travel departments. The strategy also confirms that once the Entry/Exit System (EES) goes live across all external borders in April 2026 Brazilians will no longer receive passport stamps; entry and exit will be recorded automatically, giving companies cleaner data for duty-of-care audits.
At this juncture, Brazilian travellers and mobility managers may wish to lean on a specialised facilitator such as VisaHQ, which maintains a dedicated Brazil portal (https://www.visahq.com/brazil/) covering Schengen and dozens of other destinations. The platform combines real-time requirement updates, digital document upload and customer support, helping companies adapt quickly as EU missions roll out e-visas and new biometric rules.
![EU Unveils First-Ever Visa Strategy—What It Means for Brazilian Travelers and Employers]()
Crucially for Brazil-based start-ups and research institutes, the Commission paired the strategy with a Recommendation on Attracting Talent for Innovation. It urges member states to create fast-track visa lanes and ‘talent hubs’ aimed at entrepreneurs and researchers from outside the EU. Brazilian tech professionals—already the largest Latin-American group benefitting from France’s and Portugal’s start-up visas—could see processing times fall from months to weeks if capitals follow the guidance.
The document also hints at tougher security screening: visa databases, EES and the forthcoming European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) will become interoperable, enabling border guards to query multiple systems in one search. Mobility teams should therefore ensure that employees’ personal data are consistent across passports, visa applications and tickets; mismatches will trigger hits and may lead to secondary inspection.
For Brazilian corporates the takeaway is twofold. In the short term, travellers should expect incremental procedural tweaks—more fingerprint appointments, pilot e-visa portals, and mandatory online payment. Strategically, HR and global-mobility leaders should map how the new talent measures can support EU expansion plans, especially in R&D-heavy sectors such as fintech, clean energy and agritech where Brazil has comparative strengths.
Under the plan the Commission will fund member-state projects that move application forms, biometric capture and fee payment fully online by 2030. Today, nearly 300,000 Brazilians apply for Schengen visas each year, most of them submitting paper forms at outsourced visa centres. A shift to end-to-end digital filing promises shorter queues, lower courier costs and more transparent tracking for corporate travel departments. The strategy also confirms that once the Entry/Exit System (EES) goes live across all external borders in April 2026 Brazilians will no longer receive passport stamps; entry and exit will be recorded automatically, giving companies cleaner data for duty-of-care audits.
At this juncture, Brazilian travellers and mobility managers may wish to lean on a specialised facilitator such as VisaHQ, which maintains a dedicated Brazil portal (https://www.visahq.com/brazil/) covering Schengen and dozens of other destinations. The platform combines real-time requirement updates, digital document upload and customer support, helping companies adapt quickly as EU missions roll out e-visas and new biometric rules.
Crucially for Brazil-based start-ups and research institutes, the Commission paired the strategy with a Recommendation on Attracting Talent for Innovation. It urges member states to create fast-track visa lanes and ‘talent hubs’ aimed at entrepreneurs and researchers from outside the EU. Brazilian tech professionals—already the largest Latin-American group benefitting from France’s and Portugal’s start-up visas—could see processing times fall from months to weeks if capitals follow the guidance.
The document also hints at tougher security screening: visa databases, EES and the forthcoming European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) will become interoperable, enabling border guards to query multiple systems in one search. Mobility teams should therefore ensure that employees’ personal data are consistent across passports, visa applications and tickets; mismatches will trigger hits and may lead to secondary inspection.
For Brazilian corporates the takeaway is twofold. In the short term, travellers should expect incremental procedural tweaks—more fingerprint appointments, pilot e-visa portals, and mandatory online payment. Strategically, HR and global-mobility leaders should map how the new talent measures can support EU expansion plans, especially in R&D-heavy sectors such as fintech, clean energy and agritech where Brazil has comparative strengths.
