Countries that have a visa-free regime with the EU. What documents are needed to travel without a visa? Minimum required amount for stay in Schengen countries

Unlike Georgia, which can be criticized every now and then in the European Union, a year after the abolition of travel visas Ukrainian citizens to EU countries (the only exceptions are Great Britain and Ireland), observers sum up generally positive results.

Statistics of the "visa-free" regime

According to the European External Borders Agency, in the first three months of the visa-free regime, the flow of Ukrainian citizens traveling to the Schengen area alone increased by 15 percent. At the same time, the number of Ukrainians detained by border guards in EU countries (most of all in Poland) with false visas has decreased significantly.

As Alexander Tikhonov, deputy head of the press service of the State Border Service of Ukraine, told DW, from June 11, 2017, the benefits of a visa-free regime with the countries of the Schengen area (in addition to 22 EU states, these are four more European countries) was used by more than half a million citizens of Ukraine, almost one and a half thousand were denied entry. The most common reasons for refusal are lack of proper documents and insufficient financial support trips.

Without visa regime- feeling of freedom

Famous Ukrainian blogger and model Svyatoslav Boyko is one of those who have taken full advantage of visa-free travel to EU countries over the past year.

“It’s freedom when you can just get on the Kyiv-Przemysl train and get off in Poland, and they’ll just check your documents on the train. It’s nice,” the young man admits, noting that he previously had an annual Schengen visa and regularly been to European Union countries. For Svyatoslav and many of his acquaintances, the visa-free regime with the EU simplified life, but did not radically change it. “Those who traveled, they travel, and this “visa-free” did not particularly affect them,” Boyko explained in a conversation with DW.

But a real revolution consciousness, a visa-free regime has become available for members of the amateur folklore ensemble “Bereginya” from the village of Kazachye, Chernihiv region. After publishing a photo online of their check-in for a flight at Boryspil airport, social network users called them “visa-free grandmothers” and even joked about “life-giving visa-free travel.”

The oldest member of the group is 81 years old. She and others went to a music festival in Hungary under a “visa-free regime” with a new biometric passport. As one of the Bereginya soloists, Ekaterina Burzak, told DW, before their first trip abroad, the whole village was worried, they didn’t sleep all night. We returned from Hungary very impressed. “Everything is at the highest level. Beauty! We haven’t even flown by plane. It’s our first time abroad. It can’t be put into words! It’s like we’ve been to paradise!” - Ekaterina Ivanovna exclaims.

The mental "iron curtain" has fallen

According to an expert at the Brussels Center for European Policy, the gradual fall of the mental “iron curtain” is the main achievement of the abolition of visas.

"I think the older generation had a very specific idea of ​​Europe, perhaps as some exotic or mysterious place. But now that these people have had the opportunity to visit it, they obviously have a different impression for themselves," Paul suggested .

A serious barrier for many remains financial issue. The low exchange rate of the Ukrainian hryvnia against the euro (almost 30 to one) makes holidays in Europe affordable, as a rule, only for wealthy citizens. We can only hope for the emerging increase in wages, as well as for all larger number flights to Ukraine on low-cost airlines and expansion of the bus transportation network.

"Visa-free" and work migration

The introduction of a visa-free regime between Ukraine and the EU occurred against the background of brisk labor migration from Ukraine. In Poland alone, according to data provided at the beginning of 2018 by Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, there are now 1.5 million Ukrainians. On labor German farmers are also counting on coming from Ukraine, Ukrainian nurses are expected in the Czech Republic, and Slovakia is simplifying the employment procedure for Ukrainians.

Context

It turns out that those who warned that the introduction of a visa-free regime, which, although it does not give the right to work, would promote labor migration, were right? But, according to expert estimates International organization on Migration (IOM) Varvara Zhluktenko, visa-free travel and labor migration are not related. At the same time, in order to draw concrete conclusions, she advises waiting for comprehensive studies on this topic.

New border crossing rules expected from 2020

Meanwhile, citizens of Ukraine continue to en masse issue biometric passports required for visa-free travel. Many people do this for future use. Although the excitement that reigned on the eve of the visa-free regime is no longer there. This was facilitated by the improvement of the technical equipment of the State migration service Ukraine. However, as the department’s press secretary Sergei Gunko admitted: “If we talk about foreign passports, we expect a decline in demand.”

Current rules Border crossings with Schengen countries are expected to continue until 2020. Then it should work in the EU new system registration of entry and exit of third-country citizens, which is designed to speed up the border crossing procedure. The new rules will also affect Ukrainians. However, what this system will look like is still unknown.

See also:

• No visas to the European Union from June 11



What you need to know about the EU visa-free regime for Ukrainian citizens

With a biometric passport to 30 countries

Since the introduction of the EU visa-free regime with Ukraine, Ukrainians do not require visas to short-term travel to all EU countries (except the UK and Ireland), as well as for trips to Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland outside the EU. A total of 30 European countries. The main condition is the presence of a biometric passport.



What you need to know about the EU visa-free regime for Ukrainian citizens

Three months in the EU

You can stay in the Schengen area countries without a visa for no more than 90 days within a period of 180 days. For example, you can go on vacation to the Aegean Sea in Greece (pictured) without a visa. The period of 90 days is not fixed, but floating, so you need to pay attention to travel dates if there is a risk of exceeding the permitted period. Violation of this rule may result in a ban on re-entry into the EU.



What you need to know about the EU visa-free regime for Ukrainian citizens

Without a visa, but with documents

To enter the Schengen zone states, Ukrainians only need a biometric passport, but an employee immigration service has the right to ask to confirm the purpose and conditions of the trip, to prove the availability of sufficient funds to stay in the EU and subsequently return.



What you need to know about the EU visa-free regime for Ukrainian citizens

You can’t work, you can’t study on short-term courses

The visa-free regime does not give the right to work in EU countries. To do this, you need to separately obtain a work permit, and most likely, apply for a visa. But for participation in seminars and short-term training courses Up to 90 days you can do without a visa. If your studies will last more than three months, it is better to contact the embassy or consulate of the country where you will be studying.



What you need to know about the EU visa-free regime for Ukrainian citizens

To visit relatives or to a conference?

If you are visiting relatives or friends, you should have with you an invitation and information about the inviter - address and telephone number. If the purpose of the trip is to participate in a business or scientific conference, then it is advisable to have an invitation to it with you. And if we are talking about studies, then you may need confirmation of enrollment in educational institution. Travel health insurance is not required, but it is recommended to take it out.



What you need to know about the EU visa-free regime for Ukrainian citizens

How much money should you have with you?

To prove your solvency upon entry, you may be asked to present traveler's checks, confirmation of your accommodation reservation, cash, and even check your credit card limit. The required amount depends on the duration and choice of country(ies) of travel and can vary greatly: for example, in Latvia it is only 14 euros per day per person, and in neighboring Estonia it is already 94 euros per day.



What you need to know about the EU visa-free regime for Ukrainian citizens

Saving time and money

Of course, citizens of Ukraine have to take a lot of documents with them when traveling, but they do not need to apply for visas at consulates, pay for them and wait for registration.

It has arrived. Along with the good news, people have many questions, for example, What EU entry rules? What documents, besides a biometric foreign passport, do you need to have with you? And indeed, useful information there is little on this score, so today we will dispel the myths and figure out What does a visa-free regime give? And which countries have become visa-free for Ukraine.

The content of the article:

​

What does a visa-free regime give for Ukraine?

The visa-free regime between Ukraine and the European Union gives Ukrainians the right to travel 90 days out of 180 to all EU countries (except for Great Britain and Ireland) without applying for visas at embassies. The main document in this case is.

Biometric international passport This is a passport with a built-in chip on which your data, signature, photo and fingerprints are entered.

At the same time, I remind you that old-style foreign passports continue to be valid. When crossing the border with them, you need to obtain a visa in advance, at the embassy of the country where you plan to go.

One more important point is thatvisa-free regime does not give the right to workin countries European Union. It mainly operates and applies to tourism, business and business trips, as well as to visit relatives and friends.

Where can Ukrainians travel with a biometric passport without visas?

Ukrainians can visit 26 countries that are members of the European Union, except Ireland and the UK, using a biometric foreign passport.

List of visa-free countries:

In addition to them, citizens of Ukraine can visit Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Norway, which are not members of the EU but are included in the Schengen zone, without visas using a biometric passport.

Don’t forget that besides them there is also a huge list that is updated every year.

Let me remind you that there are 5 more countries applicants for membership in the European Union:

• Iceland
• Macedonia
• Serbia
• Türkiye

It is worth mentioning the so-called “white Schengen list” with countries from which negotiations are underway on a visa-free regime. On this moment it includes 60 countries including: Japan, Mexico, Australia, Brazil, South Korea, Uruguay, Venezuela, Canada, Colombia, Israel, Panama, Singapore.

EU entry rules

We have a biometric foreign passport, the question arises, what else is needed to cross the border of EU countries? There are a lot of discussions about this, but no specifics. There is a lot of fictitious information and more and more questions arise in people. The main one is: What documents other than a biometric passport should I take with me?

It’s no secret that whether there is a visa or not, the last word remains with the border services. EU border guards are guided by the Schengen Border Code. It specifies the rules and procedure for foreigners to cross the border. So, the main rule, it says: “There is not a single additional requirement to foreigners traveling to the EU under a visa-free regime.”

At the same time, it doesn’t matter whether you enter under a visa-free regime or with a visa, the EU has several basic entry rules for foreigners. Those who have ever traveled through the Schengen zone probably know them.

Entry into EU countries is permitted foreign citizens, which:

1. Have with them valid document to cross the border.

It could be biometric passport or an old-style foreign passport with a visa.

2. They can justify for what purpose and under what conditions they visit EU countries.

To justify the purpose of the trip, take tourism for example, you need to provide a travel itinerary written in free form. Regarding the conditions of your stay in the EU, border guards may ask for a printout of your hotel reservation or an invitation from the inviting party. Plus, the second one does not need to be notarized. It is written in free form with the address and telephone number of relatives or friends where you will live. And also, return tickets (optional for road travelers).

For official and business trips you need to have an invitation to a meeting or a ticket to an exhibition, concert, meeting, etc. or other document confirming the purpose of your trip.

3. Have enough financial resources, for stay in EU countries and for returning back.

To do this, you do not need to make any bank statements or transfer money on the card, as we did for a visa. You just need to provide your credit card or cash, subject to a minimum amount for the day of your stay. They won’t necessarily be checked or counted, just showing them is enough.

Minimum amount of funds for some countries when crossing the border under a visa-free regime

• Belgium - 45 euros for foreigners staying with private individuals. 95 euros, for those staying at the hotel
• Hungary - 3 euros
• Germany - 45 euros per day
• Greece - 50 euros per day, minimum 300 euros for 5 days
• Denmark - 50 euros per day
• Spain - 71 euros. But the minimum amount that you need to have upon entry, regardless of the length of stay in the country, is about 637 EUR or its equivalent in another currency.
• Italy - 55 euros
• Latvia - 14 euros per day
• Lithuania - 40 euros per day
• Liechtenstein - 91 euros, for students - 27 euros
• Luxembourg - the minimum amount of funds is determined individually
• Malta - 48 euros per day
• Netherlands - 34 euros
• Norway - 50 euros
• Portugal - 40 euros
• Poland - 71 euros (stay up to 3 days); 25 euros (more than 3 days)
• Slovakia - 56 euros per day
• Slovenia - 70 euros. For minors accompanied by parents - 35 euros Finland - 30 euros per day
• Finland - 30 euros per day
• France - 32.50 euros (accommodation reservation required); 65 euros - persons who cannot confirm the availability of housing
• Czech Republic - 40 euros
• Switzerland - 91 euros. For students - 27 euros
• Sweden - 47 euros
• Estonia - 94 euros

To confirm solvency, any of these options are suitable:

• Cash
• Credit cards
• Travel checks
• Paid accommodation and tickets
• Sponsorship of the inviting party

4. Have travel medical insurance, and in case of traveling by car - also an insurance policy civil liability owner of the vehicle.

Similar to what we applied for a visa. ABOUT health insurance I already wrote, I won’t repeat it.

5. Are not included in the list of persons prohibited from entering EU countries.

If you have previously been deported and you have been added to the list of persons prohibited from entering the EU.

6. Do not pose a threat to public order, security, public health and international relations.

In a word, if a citizen (in our case) of Ukraine cannot provide information about the purpose of entry into the EU, he does not have the financial means to stay in the country, or he is on the list of persons prohibited from entering, border guards may refuse entry into the territory EU countries.Therefore, take care in advance of all the documents that may be needed at the border.

I would like to note that at the same time, all documents, except for a biometric passport, are not mandatory, but recommended; you do not have to issue them. But, employees border service EU have every right request one of the above documents, and if they are missing, refuse entry. The last word remains with them.

If you still have questions about the visa-free regime between Ukraine and the EU, as well as about the rules for entering the EU, ask them in the comments. Write your experience of traveling without a visa. We always welcome your feedback.

How to find budget accommodation
Cheap accommodation or hotels can be found through the hotellook booking system, we use it ourselves, it’s been verified. The convenience of the service is that it compares prices from dozens of booking systems - all you have to do is choose the best offer for yourself and buy.

How to buy cheap air tickets
You can buy a plane ticket directly on the airline’s website, but it is most profitable to take advantage of flight offers in a direction from Aviasales, a unit that we use ourselves. The service selects the most profitable offer by prices and destinations - you just have to choose the best by price, departure time or favorite airline.

Proven resources that help us save when
independent travel planning

We have compiled a list of useful and proven resources that we ourselves use when traveling. They help us save time, money and nerves.

Buying travel insurance online.
Tripinsurance- buying insurance online.

Kiwitaxi- booking a transfer from the airport.

Thank you for reading our blog. See you soon on the pages of our .

Ukraine and the EU signed the necessary legislative acts to introduce a visa-free regime. The agreement is expected to enter into force in early June.

Photo: Valentin Ogirenko / Reuters

On Wednesday, May 17, in Strasbourg, France, the leadership of Ukraine and the EU signed a document introducing a visa-free regime for the entry of Ukrainians into Europe. After many years of negotiations, all legal formalities have been resolved, and a visa-free regime for Ukraine is now only a matter of time. The document will come into force 20 days after its publication in Official Journal EU, approximately in early June.

The ceremonial signing of the act took place during the working visit of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to the European Parliament. The ceremony was also attended by the new Speaker of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani, the Minister of Internal Affairs of Malta currently presiding over the EU Carmelo Abela and the European Parliament rapporteur on the visa-free regime Maria Gabriel.

Thus, Ukraine becomes the third of the six Eastern Partnership countries to achieve a visa-free regime with the EU, after Moldova and Georgia. A visa-free regime for holders of biometric passports has been operating between Moldova and the EU since April 2014, and between Georgia and the EU since March 2017.

During the first year of the visa-free regime between the EU and Moldova - from April 2014 to April 2015 - 460 thousand Moldovans out of 3.5 million citizens of the country traveled to Europe, the Moldovan Foreign Ministry previously reported. The National Bureau of Statistics of Moldova noted that for the entire 2015, 5.6 million cases of Moldovan tourists traveling abroad were recorded, which is 10% higher than the year before.

In Georgia, during the first month of the visa-free regime - from March 28 to April 27 - 11.7 thousand of the country's 3.7 million citizens made visa-free trips to the EU. At the beginning of the visa-free regime in Georgia there was extremely high level refusals of Schengen visas - more than 12% in 2016.

How to use a biometric passport required condition greatly reduces the share of those Ukrainians who will be able to take advantage of the new rights. As of May 11, 2017, about 3.3 million citizens of Ukraine received biometric passports for traveling abroad, while last month- about 100 thousand people. This is about 8% of the country's total population.

The introduction of a visa-free regime gives Ukrainians the right to move freely across the territory of 30 states. These are 22 EU and Schengen countries, four non-EU Schengen countries (Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein), and four non-Schengen EU countries (Cyprus, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia). The only exceptions are Great Britain and Ireland, which have the right not to join Schengen as members of the European Union.

The visa-free regime will give Ukrainian citizens the right to stay for a period of 90 days during each 180-day period. If for some reason you need to stay abroad for a longer period, you will have to apply for a visa. We are talking specifically about stay: the document does not give rights to residence, employment or study in the EU.

Achieving a visa-free regime with Europe is positive news for Ukraine, however, it is premature to say that this step predetermines the country’s further European integration, a Ukrainian expert on international and legal issues Andrey Buzarov.

“Many Ukrainian parties are actively playing on the topic of European integration, and Ukrainians have the erroneous opinion that the abolition of visas is a step into the European Union,” Buzarov told RBC. “But a visa-free regime and integration are completely different things from a legal and political point of view.” In addition, the expert notes, Kyiv does not yet have a program for joining the EU, and the Association Agreement (not yet fully ratified by the Netherlands) means only political and economic rapprochement, but not an infusion.

Ukraine's movement towards free borders with the EU lasted more than six years. For the first time at the official level, an action plan for a visa-free regime was agreed upon at the Ukraine-EU summit in November 2010. Over the course of several years, this plan was finalized and modified; again, they began to talk about providing a visa-free regime after the signing of the political part of the Association Agreement in March 2014 by the new authorities in Kyiv.

In December 2015, the European Commission recognized that Ukraine had fulfilled all the basic conditions for the introduction of a visa-free regime. But already in April 2016, in a consultative referendum in the Netherlands, 61% of the Dutch ratified the Association Agreement. Although Ukrainian and European diplomats say that negotiations on the abolition of visas and on association with the EU are different processes, the discussion of a visa-free regime was suspended for some time.

It was only in December 2016 that the European Parliament agreed on the rules for the emergency suspension of the visa-free regime for third-country citizens, given the concerns of the Dutch. The mechanism can be used in four cases: an increase in the number of refusals to citizens of these countries to enter the European Union; growth in number unfounded applications for refugee status; refusal of the authorities of “third countries” to cooperate in matters of repatriation; risks for internal security EU associated with citizens of these countries.

As a result, after several months of discussion, representatives of the European Parliament and the European Council on February 28, 2017 decided to abolish visas for Ukrainians, on April 6 the European Parliament made this decision, and on May 11 the Council of Ministers of the EU voted for visa liberalization with Ukraine.

In the summer, on June 11, the visa-free regime with the EU for Ukraine came into force. Ukrainians have been waiting for this event for a very long time. And now everyone who wants to visit Europe in the near future should familiarize themselves with a number of changes that it has entailed.

So, Ukraine and the EU: will a visa-free regime give Ukrainians new travel opportunities? Let's talk about this in more detail.

Visa-free regime between Ukraine and Europe: basic rules

Without visas does not mean without rules. Even the Ukraine-EU visa-free regime imposes certain restrictions on free movement.

The following restrictions can be identified:

• your stay in the EU must not exceed 90 days in the last 180 days;
• employment, even short-term, is prohibited;
• The visa-free regime does not give the right to enter England and Ireland, because The territories of these states do not belong to the Schengen zone.

Let us clarify that a visa-free regime for Ukraine with the EU means a simplified procedure for entry into all Schengen states, even those not included in the European Union. Thus, Ukrainians can visit Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, which are part of Schengen and not part of the EU, without a visa.

If you doubt that your next trip complies with the 90/180 rule, then it is better to use the so-called “Schengen calculator”. It can be found both on the EU website and on many other online resources, already translated into Ukrainian.

What documents are needed to travel without a visa?

What documents are needed for visa-free entry to the Schengen countries? How is this list different from the usual one? Let us immediately note that the package of documents is smaller, and you do not need to go to the diplomatic mission for a visa with it, but only take it with you on the trip.

Documents for “visa-free”:

• biometric passport;
• return ticket (except for trips by private car);
• confirmation of accommodation availability (hotel reservation or invitation);
• health insurance;
• confirmation of the purpose of the trip (invitation, guarantee certificate, ticket to an exhibition or concert, travel plan);
• confirmation of financial availability for the entire stay.

Basically, to confirm financial solvency enough cash in the established amount for specific country size. For example, for Poland this amount is 100 zlotys (about 24 euros) per day, for the eurozone - an average of 45 euros / day.

If you do not want to cash out all the money, take a Visa or Master Card with a sufficient amount in the account, or request a letter of financial guarantee from the receiving party.

Infographics: Minimum amount per day to enter the countries

Do you need a bank certificate?

Officially, a bank certificate is not needed to travel to countries with which Ukraine has a visa-free regime. Nevertheless, there is often advice online that it is better to take a bank statement, a certificate from your place of work/study, traveler's checks, and so on. In fact, no one requires such certificates from holders of biometric passports. Moreover, travel checks ( payment document) is not so easy to obtain in Ukraine.

Those who want to play it safe can grab a check from an ATM by withdrawing a certain amount just before leaving. Or save an SMS notification on your phone informing you about the last transaction, indicating the balance in your account.

What to do if you have a valid Schengen visa?

If you have previously opened a Schengen visa, you can travel on it until its expiration date, and free time process the registration of a biometric passport.

How can a child travel without a visa?

The visa-free regime applies not only to adult citizens of Ukraine, but also to children. In order to travel, a child must have his own biometric passport, separate from his parent’s.

You should also pay attention to following features entry:

• Children under 12 years of age are not fingerprinted. But this does not mean that the passport issued by him cannot be biometric. Any document with a special chip is considered biometrics. That is, a photo of a child recorded on a chip is enough to consider the passport biometric.
• From the age of 14, to receive biometric document You must present your internal ID passport. Without it, a biometric passport will not be issued.
• Persons under 16 years of age are given a foreign passport valid for 4 years. Starting from the age of 16, a foreign passport is issued for 10 years.
• The outdated system, in which the child’s photo was pasted into the parents’ passport, is becoming a thing of the past. Now any request for travel documents for minors involves issuing them a foreign passport. From April 2018, children will not be able to leave the country due to parental passports. Until this moment, you can use the pasted photos to transport children aged 5 to 12 years.
• If a child travels with only one parent, then the second must give permission to leave. If a child travels without parents, both parents must sign the permission. This rule remains the same under the visa-free regime.

Visa-free regime with the EU: can you be denied entry?

Even citizens with a biometric passport may be denied entry into a particular country. If you don't have everyone necessary documents, you will not be able to continue your trip, despite the visa-free regime for Ukrainians to Europe.

The main reason for refusal of entry on a “visa-free” basis is the lack of documentary evidence confirming the purpose of the trip and intention to return. Persons who crossed the cordon without return ticket, hotel reservations, invitations, or those who were unable to clearly explain why they were going to Europe were forced to return home.

In addition, there are a number of reasons why Ukrainians may be denied the opportunity to take advantage of the “visa-free” visa.

Reasons for refusal of entry:

• absence of one or more documents;
• being on the list of persons prohibited from entry;
• deportation from the EU;
• violation of the terms of stay in the EU;
• previous violations of the rules of stay in the EU;
• outstanding conviction for at least 1 year;
• suspicion of a serious crime;
• recognized as potentially criminal and threatening the security of the EU.

The last point is the most unclear, since it is not described in sufficient detail. For example, news about the visa-free regime describes cases where Polish border guards refused entry to ATO participants.

A little tip for those who arrived in Poland on a flight from Ukraine: do not stand in line at the border control, where there are many of your male compatriots. They are checked very carefully and for a long time for participation in hostilities in the East. The check may take a long time, so there is a queue with big amount men always move slower.

Visa-free regime: how to prepare?

If you have been planning a trip abroad for a long time, but doubt that you can figure it out on your own legislative nuances, then you can always contact us! We will help and tell you how to apply for a biometric passport, correctly calculate the length of stay in the Schengen countries, and put “Schengen” in old passport and so on.

In what cases should you contact us:

• your passport is running out - you need a new one;
• the old passport is valid, but you also need a biometric one;
• you do not want to apply for a biometric passport, but plan to travel to the Schengen area;
• if you need: a Schengen visa in an old passport; international passport for a child under 12, 14 or 16 years old;
• you plan to travel abroad with your child using your passport;
• A visa is required for a child who does not have a separate travel document.

Contact us - we will solve any issue regarding your trip abroad. And you will be convinced that the visa-free regime with the EU has great amount benefits!

Countries to which Ukrainians can travel without a visa

Despite the visa-free regime, Ukrainian tourists can still use a document issued by the consulate of any Schengen country. It allows you to travel throughout the Schengen area – European states(up to 90 days) without restrictions, as well as in some territories controlled by these countries.

1. What does the decision of the European Commission mean?

On April 20, the European Commission submitted a legislative proposal to abolish the visa regime for Ukrainian citizens.

She suggests changing current Regulations EC No. 539/2001, which defines the list of countries whose citizens require visas to travel to the countries of the Schengen area. In fact, this proposal provides for only one thing: transferring Ukraine from the list of countries for which visas are required to the list of countries for which visas are not required.

At the same time, in the preamble to the decision, the European Commission justifies its actions by the fact that Ukraine has fulfilled all the necessary conditions Visa Liberalization Action Plan. And also by the fact that since the sixth report of the European Commission (December 2015) there has been a positive trend in terms of fulfilling the conditions - according to electronic declarations property of officials, the creation of the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption and changes in the budget for the work of anti-corruption institutions.

It is important that the text of the preamble does not contain any additional conditions.

But it should be remembered that we're talking about only about the legislative proposal of the European Commission. The last word belongs to two other EU institutions - the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers of the EU.

2. What is the further procedure in the EU?

It was the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers of the European Union who jointly decided to adopt changes to the EU Regulation on visa issues.

It is unlikely that any problems will arise in the European Parliament: this institution has traditionally tried to promote rapprochement between the EU and Ukraine more decisively than other EU institutions. In addition, to accept positive decision in the European Parliament a simple majority is required. And it's easy to get.

« I have no doubt that there will be a clear and overwhelming majority of votes in the European Parliament in favor of granting Ukraine a visa-free regime."“, Andriy Plenkovich, a member of the European Parliament and co-chairman of the parliamentary committee of the EU-Ukraine association, said in a comment to Hromadsky.

Things are more complicated with the EU Council. It consists of ministers from EU member states, and decisions will be made at the level of more conservative interior ministers rather than, say, foreign ministers. In other words, EU countries are guided by the logic of internal security, and not by the logic of foreign policy.

And there may be questions here - because it is quite possible that ministries of countries with Eurosceptic or anti-migration governments will have some reservations. For example, is it realistic to expect a positive attitude from the Minister of the Interior of Hungary, Cyprus, Italy, Greece or other similar countries?

There are, however, several reasons for optimism.

First, before preparing a legislative proposal, the European Commission actively consults with EU countries. And it is rare that a legislative proposal is completely rejected.

Secondly, the monitoring of the European Commission is trusted. “The general mood is that if the European Commission, which has so closely monitored Ukraine’s preparations for a visa-free regime, considers that the conditions have been met, then the decision [of the EU Council of Ministers] will be positive.”, says MEP Plenkovich to Hromadsky.

The third reason for hope is that the decision on the visa-free regime will be made not according to the principle of unanimity, but according to the principle of a qualified majority. That is, the decision would require the consent of 55% of EU member states, representing 65% of the EU population.

Therefore, no country has veto power, and several countries that try to unite will not be able to block a decision if the overwhelming majority supports it. To block the decision, at least four countries are needed, representing 35% of the EU population. Those who are interested can simulate the decision of the EU Council on a special calculator.

The fourth reason for hope is that after the failure of the Dutch referendum, the EU may wish to find something positive in its relations with Ukraine. “I am increasingly hearing thoughts that Ukraine needs to ‘sweeten the pill’, and therefore there will be more unanimity on the issue of introducing a visa-free regime”, says Oleksandr Sushko, scientific director of the Institute of Euro-Atlantic Cooperation, in a commentary to Hromadsky.

3. When can I expect a visa-free regime?

Procedures within the EU will take certain time. Most likely, the decision will be made in the European Parliament faster than in the EU Council. The EU Council meeting can be expected in June.

After acceptance final decision from the two institutions, the updated EU Regulation will be published in the Official Journal of the EU. The decision will come into force on the twentieth day after publication.

In other words, if the EU Council makes a decision in June, then the visa-free regime can begin to operate late June - early July.

4. What rights does the visa-free regime provide?

The positive decision of the EU institutions on a visa-free regime will allow Ukrainian citizens to travel to Europe without visas. But you need to remember some nuances:

1) only holders of biometric passports will be able to travel without visas. This is clearly stated in the European Commission's legislative proposal. The introduction of such passports was one of the conditions for providing a visa-free regime, and for good reason: only those Ukrainian citizens who have a biometric passport will be allowed into the EU. Those who do not will need a visa.

2) without visas you can be in the Schengen territories for 90 days out of every 180. In other words, a visa-free regime does not give the right to stay indefinitely on the territory of EU countries. If you stay for more than ninety days within a six-month period, you will need a national (long-stay) visa or residence permit. The number of days spent will be checked behind the stamp in your passport when crossing the border.

3) you can travel without visas in all Schengen countries of Europe. That is, the visa-free regime will be valid for 22 of the 28 EU countries that are part of the Schengen Agreement. These countries - . This is France, Germany, Poland, Spain, Italy, and many others.

It will also be valid in those EU countries that are not yet members of the Schengen area, but have obligations to comply with Schengen legislation: Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia. “They should introduce a visa-free regime, since they have implemented the Schengen Convention, although they have not yet received the status of Schengen countries”, says Irina Sushko, head of the public organization"Europe without barriers." The situation with Cyprus should be similar - although here, given the peculiarities of the security situation in this country, there may be nuances.

For countries that are not members of the EU but are part of the Schengen Agreement (Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein), today's legislative proposal of the European Commission is also valid, having the status of “development of Schengen legislation”. Therefore, they must support it in accordance with their national procedures.

However, visas remain for travel to the UK and Ireland, because they have not joined the Schengen Agreement.

5. What rights does the visa-free regime not provide?

It should also be remembered certain restrictions visa-free regime. The main ones:

1) the visa-free regime does not automatically give you permission to work or study in EU countries. To obtain such permits, you need, as now, to obtain national visas(or residence permit) with the provision of such a right. A visa-free regime is only the first stage of integration within the framework of “human contacts”. It gives freedoms, but they are less than joining the Schengen zone. Or, even more so, joining the European Union, which after some time gives citizens of any EU country the same rights to work. Ukraine is still far from this goal.

2) a visa-free regime is far from identical to entry into the Schengen zone. Within the Schengen area, you do not have to show your passport at all when crossing borders between countries. But under the visa-free regime you show your passport. Another thing is that he does not have to have a visa. Nothing will change at airports either: Ukrainian citizens will queue up at the “all passports” window (like citizens of the USA or Japan, for example), and not at the window for citizens of the EU and the Schengen zone.

In any case, despite these restrictions, the visa-free regime will provide huge advantages to Ukrainians who will finally be able to travel to the Schengen area without visas. Therefore, having “access to Europe” will become much easier than it is now.

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With respect, Solomiya