From countries where developed beach holiday, you can select Montenegro, to visit which you only need a passport (no additional documents no need). In the country you can not only swim and sunbathe on the pebbly beaches of the Adriatic, but also see the transparent Skadar Lake (the cleanest in this part of Europe), take a hike in the mountains, visit a large number of architectural monuments, the earliest of which date back to the 3rd-4th century AD. .e.
Russian tourists they can also enter 4 Balkan states without a visa: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Serbia and Albania. Ski and ecological tourism is developed in them. However, besides this, you can just walk around the very colorful ancient cities of these states. To enter here, you only need a valid passport and medical insurance, which is valid for the entire trip.
You can enter Ukraine and Belarus - the two closest neighboring countries of the Russian Federation - not only with a passport, but also with a general civil document. In Ukraine, not only beach holidays are developed, but also ski tourism (Carpathians) and educational recreation. Belarus is distinguished by a large number of excellent recreational boarding houses in nature.
Countries with a simplified visa regime
A country with a simplified visa regime in relation to the citizens of the Russian Federation is Cyprus. Pro-visa for 90 days is issued on the website of the Cypriot Embassy in Moscow online, confirmation papers are sent within 1-2 days to an email address. They must be printed and presented upon arrival at Larnaca or Paphos airport.The Mediterranean nature of Cyprus contributes to the development of beach and health tourism. The island has a large number of ancient monasteries and buildings from the ancient to the medieval period.
Visa-free border crossing for residents of border areas
Residents of border areas (30 km from the border) can obtain a border resident's certificate, with which they can cross the borders of Latvia, Norway and Poland without a visa.In the summer, June 11, the visa-free regime with the EU for Ukraine came into force. Ukrainians have been waiting for this event for a long time. And now everyone who wants to visit Europe in the near future should familiarize themselves with a number of changes that it entailed.
So, Ukraine and the EU: will the visa-free regime give Ukrainians new travel opportunities? Let's talk about this in more detail.
Visa-free regime of Ukraine with Europe: basic rules
Without visas does not mean without rules. Even the visa-free "Ukraine-EU" regime imposes certain restrictions on free movement.
The following restrictions can be distinguished:
- stay in the EU must not exceed 90 days in the last 180 days;
- a ban is imposed on employment, even short-term;
- 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 area.
Let us clarify that a visa-free regime for Ukraine with the EU means a simplified procedure for entering all Schengen states, even those not included in the EU. Thus, Ukrainians can visit Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, which are members of the Schengen and non-EU countries, 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 website of the European Union and on many other online resources already with a translation 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? Immediately, we note that the package of documents is smaller, and you do not need to go to the diplomatic mission with it for a visa, but only take it with you on the road.
Documents for "visa-free":
- biometric passport;
- return ticket (except for travel by private car);
- confirmation of the availability of housing (hotel reservation or invitation);
- medical insurance;
- confirmation of the purpose of the trip (invitation, guarantee certificate, ticket to an exhibition or concert, travel plan);
- confirmation of the availability of funds for the entire stay.
Basically, to confirm financial solvency enough cash in the amount established for a particular country. 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.
Infographic: Minimum amount per day to enter countries
Do you need a bank statement?
Officially, a bank statement is not needed to travel to countries with which Ukraine has a visa-free regime. Nevertheless, advice is often flashed on the network that it is better to take a bank statement, a certificate from the place of work / study, traveler's checks, and so on. In fact, no one requires such certificates from holders of biometric passports. Moreover, it is not so easy to get travel checks (payment document) in Ukraine.
Those who wish to play it safe can grab a check from an ATM, withdrawing a certain amount immediately before leaving. Or save an SMS notification on the phone informing about the last transaction, indicating the balance on the account.
What if you have a valid Schengen visa?
If you have previously opened a Schengen visa, you can travel on it until the expiration date, and in free time do the decorating 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, the child must have their own, separate from the parent, biometric passport.
You should also pay attention to the following features entry:
- Children under 12 are not fingerprinted. But this does not mean that the passport issued by him cannot be biometric. Biometrics is any document with a special chip. That is, a photo of a child recorded on a chip is enough to consider a biometric passport.
- From the age of 14, in order to receive biometric document you need to present an internal ID-passport. Without it, a biometric passport is not issued.
- Persons under 16 years of age are given a passport for 4 years. Starting from the age of 16, a passport is issued for 10 years.
- The outdated system, in which a photo of a child was pasted into the parents' passport, is a thing of the past. Now any request for travel documents for minors involves the issuance of a passport. From April 2018, children will not be able to leave the country on parental passports. Up to this point, children aged 5 to 12 can be transported using pasted photos.
- If the child is traveling with only one parent, then the second must give permission to leave. If the child travels without parents, both parents must sign the permit. This rule remains the same for visa-free regime.
Visa-free regime with the EU: can you be denied entry?
Even citizens with a biometric passport may be denied entry to a particular country. If you don't have all required documents, you will not be able to continue your journey, despite the visa-free regime for Ukrainians to Europe.
The main reason for refusing entry on a "visa-free" basis is the lack of documentary evidence confirming the purpose of the trip and the intention to return. Persons who traveled through the cordon without a return ticket, hotel reservation, invitation, or who could not 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 use the visa-free regime.
Reasons for denied entry:
- missing one or more documents;
- being on the list of persons who are denied entry;
- deportation from the EU;
- violation of the terms of stay in the EU;
- previous violations of the procedure for staying in the EU;
- outstanding conviction from 1 year;
- suspicion of a serious crime;
- recognition as potentially capable of a crime and threatening the security of the EU.
The last point is the most vague, as it is not described in sufficient detail. For example, news about a visa-free regime describes cases when Polish border guards refused entry to ATO participants.
A little tip for those who arrived in Poland on a flight from Ukraine: do not queue up at the border control, where there are a lot of your male compatriots. They are very carefully and for a long time checked for participation in hostilities in the East. The check can be delayed, so the queue with a large number of men always moves more slowly.
Visa-free regime: how to prepare?
If you have been planning a trip abroad for a long time, but doubt that you will be able to understand the legislative nuances on your own, then you can always contact us! We will help and advise you on how to issue a biometric passport, correctly calculate the period of stay in the Schengen countries, put the "Schengen" in old passport and so on.
When 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 issue a biometric passport, but plan to travel to the Schengen area;
- if you need: Schengen visa in old passport; international passport for a child under 12, 14 or 16 years old;
- you plan to travel abroad with a child on your passport;
- A visa is required for a child who does not have a separate travel document.
Contact us - we will solve any issue related to a trip abroad. And you will see that the visa-free regime with the EU has a huge number of advantages!
Countries where 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 move around the entire Schengen area - European states (up to 90 days) without restrictions, as well as in some territories controlled by these countries.
| Austria |
After the approval by the European Parliament of granting a visa-free regime for Ukrainians, this process entered the final stage. Now the issue must be considered by the ambassadors of the EU member states (COREPER), which may happen on April 26th.
Then the decision must be approved by the Council of the EU with its subsequent signing by representatives of the European Parliament and the country presiding over the European Union (Malta) and publication in the Official Journal of the EU. This process is expected to be completed by June 10-15, 2017. The decision to introduce a visa-free regime will enter into force 20 days after publication.
Who can travel without a visa
One should not think that a visa-free regime means complete freedom of movement from Ukraine to Europe. It will be valid for short-term trips (with a total duration of no more than 90 days for every six months, that is, 180 days per year) to EU countries and does not provide for employment or training. It is these two key parameters (length of stay and purpose of trip) that foreign border guards will first check.
That is, you can go on a visit, tour, festival, conference or training. To study or look for a job in Europe, you will still need to obtain long-term and work visas.
Take advantage of the visa-free regime for traveling to the countries of the Schengen area, as soon as it will be entered, only holders of biometric passports will be able to. That is, documents with a chip, where all the data is recorded, including the signature and fingerprints.
According to the executive director public organization"Europe without barriers" by Irina Sushko, ordinary passports and open visas will be valid until the end of their validity period. By the way, the law does not prohibit having both an old valid passport and a new biometric one. This can be helpful for those with a good visa history.
“This is important for those who have a long-term visa, for example, to the UK, the USA or another state that is not part of the Schengen zone,” said Irina Sushko.
Analyst of the NGO "Europe Without Barriers" Ekaterina Kulchitskaya explained that get in without a visa it will be possible to 26 EU countries and four Schengen countries: Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. In the UK, you still need to apply for a national visa.
According to the State migration service, more than 10,000 Ukrainians issue biometric passports every day.
As President Petro Poroshenko stated, last year Ukrainians have crossed the borders of EU countries over 15 million times. Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin suggests that visa-free travel will increase the number of Ukrainians traveling to Europe to 100-150 million per year.
What to show at the border
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the border, in addition to a biometric passport, it will be necessary show return ticket(by plane, train or bus), insurance policy. For border guards, especially at the first stage, it is important to confirm the purpose of your trip without a visa. Therefore, they may ask where and why you are going and whether you have a hotel reservation, money, etc.
It is especially worth paying attention to the availability of sufficient funds for the trip (cash or credit card). A bank statement will not be superfluous if the border guard does not want to check the availability of money on the presented card.
It is important to remember that each EU country has its own “per diem” norms, which are considered sufficient for being on its territory. Usually it is 45-50 euros for each day of stay abroad.
If the purpose of the trip is to visit an exhibition, conference or business meeting, you must show a ticket for the event or an invitation. An invitation can be presented in a free form, even verbally: you need to explain who you are going to, how you know the inviting party or indicate it contact number. Also, border guards may ask for the phone number of friends or relatives to whom you are going.
As the experience of neighboring Moldova, whose citizens have been enjoying a visa-free regime for three years now, shows, if Ukrainians do not violate EU law, then number of questions and their frequency occurrence will decrease over time. According to the former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and European integration Iulian Groza of Moldova, only over time did the border guards gain confidence, and the procedure for checking the minimum set of documents became selective.
For violation of the terms of stay or work without a permit (as well as other violations of the rules of stay in the EU), a fine of 3 thousand euros and deportation are threatened. Instead of a fine, a ban on entry into the Schengen area for a period of 1 to 5 years may be imposed.
However, the number of returns of Moldovan citizens to their homeland is small. For three years, there were about 5 thousand such people, and according to data for 2016, only in 0.5% of cases Moldovans were denied entry or deported.
They can also ban entry to EU countries if the traveler is already on the "black lists", for example, Interpol or Europol.
The experience of Georgia shows that after the introduction of a visa-free regime, air tickets to Europe fell by 10-20%. However, given that tickets can become cheaper due to the massive demand for travel, and visa-free travel will actually take place closer to the end of June, and therefore will not affect a significant part of the 2017 high season, we can assume that this effect will fully manifest itself only next year.
“Carriers will earn more - we predict that in three to four years the tourist flow will grow by 50%.
According to him, the receipt of a visa-free regime for Ukraine was observed, among other things, by international transportation companies, which announced their plans last year. plans to develop routes to Ukraine.
“Given that this market operates on a parity basis, everything will be balanced. Travel companies may lose a small percentage of customers, but definitely not in the near future. Bus tickets and self-designed routes are still the most popular and affordable form of tourism,” says Pavlovich.
President of the Association of Tourist Business Leaders of Ukraine Oleksandr Novikovsky also believes that tourists will have more opportunities to travel, and travel agencies - to form their own packages of proposals.
“The number of those who travel alone may increase and agencies will lose clients. But this may not happen if support is important for tourists. Especially since travel cost for two, due to the absence of a visa fee, it will become cheaper by about 110 euros (35 euros for a visa and 20 euros for related services visa centers),” Alexander Novikovsky noted.
With the price of one ticket for 3-4 days at 250-350 euros, savings on visas will be from 15 to 22% of the travel price.
According to some estimates, Ukrainians spent a total of about $60 million annually on visas to the EU countries. Experts also note that many business contacts did not take place or happened at the wrong time due to the fact that Ukrainian participants had to apply for visas.
The technical procedure for obtaining a visa takes from 7 to 14 days plus the time for collecting documents. With a visa-free regime, business people will be able to plan a trip in the "today for tomorrow" mode.
"The only business that will surely suffer from visa-free travel are intermediaries that provide visa processing services. And even then, most likely, they will simply reorient themselves to those countries that this innovation will not affect, for example, Great Britain and the USA, ”Alexander Pavlovich believes.
In addition, as the head of the All-Ukrainian Association of Tour Operators, Igor Golubakh, notes, competition in the domestic market of travel services will increase, which will force some resorts that unreasonably inflated prices to reduce their appetites.