Visa facilitation

KEY POINTS

EU Member States covered by these agreements

• The agreements only apply to travel for short stays to Schengen-area countries. 22 of the 27 Member States apply the Schengen body of law (acquis). Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Romania do not yet fully apply the Schengen acquis, while Ireland maintains an opt-out. Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland are not members of the EU but are part of the Schengen area.
• Denmark and Ireland maintain opt-outs in the areas of freedom, security and justice and are not party to these agreements.

Visa requirements for non-EU nationals

Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 repeals and codifies Regulation (EC) No 539/2001. The regulation lists the non-EU countries whose nationals are exempt from the visa requirement (Annex II) and those non-EU countries whose nationals must obtain a visa to travel to the Schengen area.

Reciprocal arrangements for EU citizens

The arrangements for citizens of Azerbaijan, Cabo Verde and Russia apply reciprocally to EU citizens.

Documentary evidence of the purpose of the journey

Appropriate documentary evidence is required to confirm the purpose of the journey for various categories of visa applicant, which, depending on the country, may include:

• close relatives of legal residents: spouses, children (including adopted children), parents (including other custodians), grandparents and grandchildren;
• members of official delegations;
• business people and representatives of business organisations;
• drivers conducting international cargo- and passenger-transportation services;
• pupils, students and accompanying teachers on study trips;
• people participating in scientific, academic, cultural or artistic activities;
• journalists and accompanying technical crew;
• participants in international sports events and professional assistants;
• participants in official twin-city exchange programmes;
• people travelling for medical reasons and their necessary companions;
• professionals participating in international exhibitions, conferences, symposiums, seminars or similar events;
• representatives of civil society organisations on trips concerning educational training, seminars, conferences and exchange programmes;
• relatives visiting for burial ceremonies;
• visitors to military and civil burial grounds;
• people travelling for tourism.

Multiple entry visas

Varying requirements apply for different categories of visa applicants, with visas valid for up to 5 years after being issued. Generally, depending on the country, family members and official visitors are eligible for 5-year visas, while other categories are eligible for visas that are valid for 1 to 5 years.

Fees

The agreements provide for a fee reduction for non-EU nationals when applying for a Schengen visa. Apart from the Cabo Verde agreement, all other visa facilitation agreements concerned set the visa fee level at €35 (per application). In addition, fees are waived for many categories of citizen depending on their purpose of travel.

Departure in the case of lost or stolen documents

Citizens who have lost their documents or have had their documents stolen may leave the country based on valid identity documents, entitling them to cross the border, issued by diplomatic missions or consular posts without any visa or other authorisation.

Extension of visa in exceptional circumstances

Citizens who cannot leave by the time stated in their visas, for reasons of unforeseeable circumstances (force majeure), can have the term of their visas extended free of charge subject to the laws of the countries involved.

Diplomatic passports

Holders of valid diplomatic passports can enter, leave and transit through the territories covered by these agreements without visas. The Cabo Verde agreement also provides for the same exemption for holders of service passports (passports issued to government employees).

These categories of passport holders may stay in the Schengen area for a period not exceeding 90 days within a period of 180 days.

Joint committees

Joint committees of experts composed of representatives of the EU and the non-EU country concerned monitor the implementation of the agreements.

Return and readmission

These agreements are linked to readmission agreements and common rules for managing the return of irregular migrants.

Suspension of EU–Russia visa facilitation

Following the worsening of the situation triggered by Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine, which has given rise to a number of restrictive measures (see summary) and justifies measures to protect the essential security interests of the EU and its Member States, the application of the agreement on the facilitation of the issuance of visas is suspended completely for all citizens of Russia as from 12 September 2022 (see Council Decision (EU) 2022/1500).

The Commission has updated guidelines on visa issuance in relation to Russian applicants and controls of Russian citizens at the external borders, including Russian citizens fleeing military mobilisation. The guidelines call on Member States’ consulates and border authorities to apply increased security checks and scrutiny to visa issuance, along with heightened border controls, while respecting EU asylum policy for those in genuine need of international protection (see the guidelines and the communication on providing guidelines on visa issuance in relation to Russian applicants).