On the Move, the international information and advocacy network focused on the mobility of artists and cultural professionals, welcomes the first-ever EU Visa Strategy, communicated by the European Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on 29 January 2026.
Key elements welcomed by On the Move
On the Move particularly welcomes the following aspects of the EU Visa Strategy:
- Recognition of the arts and cultural sector’s contribution to economic growth and competitiveness: The Strategy explicitly acknowledges artists and cultural professionals as contributors to Europe’s economic growth and competitiveness, and recognises that visa policy must support this role. As stated in the Strategy, ‘Academics, artists and cultural professionals also play a role in enhancing the global competitiveness of the EU by fostering international collaboration.’
- Addressing the complexities of short-stay visa rules: On the Move welcomes the Commission’s intention to address the limitations of the current short-stay visa framework (90 days within a 180-day period), which directly affects travelling artists and artistic teams. The Commission announces that it will work closely with Member States to identify pragmatic solutions allowing for extended short stays for selected categories of third-country nationals, while ensuring security, economic benefits for the Union, and legal clarity for travellers. These reflections will also explore the introduction of new EU-level legislation with specific extended short-stay rules, alongside a review of existing bilateral agreements with a view to their gradual phase-out.
- Assessment of external service providers in visa processing: On the Move welcomes the Commission’s recognition of the growing reliance on external service providers to process visa applications and the need for stronger quality control and monitoring. The announced comprehensive study on outsourcing practices and financing models can be a positive step towards preventing abuses and improving transparency and accountability in the system.
Additional positive developments
On the Move also strongly welcomes:
- the digitalisation of visa procedures, which should facilitate and streamline the visa application process;
- the possibility of multiple-entry visas with longer validity periods, potentially extending beyond five years;
- the attention given to at-risk individuals, with the common visa policy allowing Member States sufficient flexibility to support vulnerable applicants — including human rights defenders, dissidents, journalists and members of civil society organisations — on a case-by-case basis.
Continued challenges for artists and cultural professionals
On the Move has observed that visa and work permit issues remain the most frequent questions addressed to Mobility Information Points (MIPs) by artists and cultural professionals, and that demand for such information remains consistently high. This is confirmed in the report Mobility Information Points at Work 2025 (2026).
‘Mobility Information Points (MIPs) are clearly in demand. In 2025, there were 2,356 consultations across 10 MIPs — approximately 45 consultations per week. Around 70% of these consultations were addressed directly to individuals or groups engaged in mobility, while the remaining 30% concerned hosting organisations, such as organisers, festivals, promoters, galleries, and others who invite artists from abroad or purchase services or goods from artists based outside their country.’
The report further highlights the increasingly global nature of administrative and tax-related inquiries handled by the MIPs, reflecting the strong interconnections between Europe and the rest of the world in the arts and cultural sector: ‘MIP services are Europe-centred but increasingly global. In 2025, users were resident in 112 countries and states — almost half the world. Consultations involving users resident in the Americas increased from 72 to 215, in Asia from 70 to 200, and in Africa from 42 to 138. Consultations involved travel to 81 destination countries.’
Looking ahead
The current challenging context, where an increasing number of visa rejections and longer processing times are being reported, highlights the importance and timeliness of the EU’s first Visa Strategy.
On the Move definitely remains open to dialogue and consultation with representatives of the European Commission, the European Parliament and Member States.
On the Move will also continue to collaborate with its members, including the MIPs, Zone Franche, Alba KULTUR, and other partners such as Pearle*, Africalia, Culture and Development, the International Music Council, etc., in order to produce, when needed, analysis, guides, and/or events on this issue.
Further reading (recent On the Move sources)
- Mobility Information Points at Work 2025 (2026)
- A MondiaCult’s side event - Cultural Mobility for Sustainable Cultural Cooperation (2025)
- International Mobility of Artists and Culture Professionals: The (Visa) lexicon (2024)
- Schengen Visa Code and Cultural Mobility: Latest Insights with a Focus on Artists and Culture Professionals from the African Continent (2023)
Photo: Copyright European Union – 2020
