Obtaining visas is a process that requires a certain amount of time and effort. This happens regardless of how this permit is issued: independently or with the help of agencies specializing in the provision of such services. Therefore, many people enjoy the benefits that gives, and, and.

What is a visa-free regime? By definition, this is an order of international relations that does not require special permission - a visa to enter the country for citizens of foreign states. It is established unilaterally or multilaterally between the subjects of international relations and involves the free movement of citizens from those countries that have signed such agreements.

The most famous example of a multilateral treaty to date is the creation of the Schengen area. was signed as part of the liberalization of the visa regime for citizens in 1985. The small Schengen village in Luxembourg then gathered representatives of only 5 countries: Germany, Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

However, Schengen actually began to work in 1995, when the actual opening of borders took place in accordance with the developed visa legislation. At the same time, most European states joined it. Great Britain and Ireland have a special status in the Schengen area. They do not participate in the joint foreign policy the European Union, and therefore preserved. After a series of EU enlargements, all of its new members joined the Schengen legislation, automatically agreeing to the terms.

To date Members falling within the Schengen area are 26 European countries, including 4 countries with so-called associated participation, as "associated with the Schengen activities of the European Union". These are Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Iceland and Norway, excluding the Svalbard archipelago (those who wish to go there can do this according to the special Svalbard Treaty).

Tiny European states - Monaco and San Marino - automatically got into the Schengen zone. Four countries, such as Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania and Cyprus, committed themselves to comply with the terms of the Schengen Agreement, but did not do so for various reasons.

Under Schengen terms.

On Thursday afternoon, the European Parliament with a large margin of votes will decide on a visa-free regime for Ukraine.

This can be said with confidence even before the vote: there has always been a strong majority in the European Parliament in support of visa liberalization. Only right-wing and partially left-wing radicals oppose it, many of which (surprise!) do not hide their loyalty to the Russian Federation.

The further visa-free approval calendar is also known. "European Truth" published it more than a month ago and now it has been confirmed by all possible sources. "We are on schedule, there are only formalities left, but they must be passed," European diplomats say.

So, visa-free will be, and it will work in mid-June. But this does not remove all questions.

The main one is how visa-free will work in practice?

What documents will you need to take abroad? Who will not be allowed into Europe, "wrapped" at the border? What to do with income statements? Is it true that our visa-free regime is "incomplete"?

Where are the myths and where is the truth? The issue of visa-free travel in Ukraine is indeed very mythologized, although sometimes, as the saying goes, smoke is not without fire.

In this publication, Evropeyskaya Pravda will answer the most frequently asked questions, and closer to the start date of the visa-free regime, it will collect new questions in order to give clarifications again.

Chip you!

First, about the simplest - the basic conditions.

EuroPravda has at its disposal the data of an all-Ukrainian opinion poll commissioned by the EU, which shows that the majority of Ukrainians do not even know that a biometric passport is a condition for visa-free travel. And the question of what to do with old passports after the approval of the visa-free regime, EuroPravda hears even from journalists.

So, enter the EU without a visa will only be allowed to those who have a biometric passport. That is, a passport with a chip on which the photo, signature and fingerprints of this person are recorded.

These are not some exclusive conditions for Ukraine.

Such a requirement applies to all states, without exception, that have undergone visa liberalization with the EU over the past decade; and in the European Union itself, they have long been issuing exclusively biometric passports.

A few years ago there were warnings against biometrics in religious circles, but now this problem has also been removed. In the Ukrainian Orthodox Church The Kyiv Patriarchate finally removed the issue of new documents (Patriarch Filaret personally received a biometric passport), the UGCC currently also has no complaints about passports with chips. Objections are sometimes heard only from representatives of the UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate.

It is noteworthy that although the supporters of the Russian Federation themselves for a long time opposed the transfer of the Ukrainian system to new standard, in Russia, biometric passports have been introduced since 2010 - much earlier than in Ukraine.

But let's get back to our realities and to the question: what to do with the current passports? The answer is simple: nothing. The EU does not have any requirements for their replacement.

Do you have a valid multivisa in an old-style passport? Feel free to use it until its expiration date. Wanna leave old passport and issue biometrics as a second document? Please, this is also allowed.

if there is no biometric passport, but it became necessary to travel to the EU.

For example, in Moldova, where visa-free travel was introduced three years ago, last year they continued to issue visas to those who need them. 2,000 people applied for visas to seven Schengen consulates operating in Chisinau. Most of them are foreigners, but about a third are Moldovan citizens with old passports.

This may seem strange, because getting a new passport costs less than a visa. But do not forget that in Moldova - just like in Ukraine - there is an agreement on visa facilitation, according to which pensioners, students and several other categories are entitled to a free visa.

This does not remove the hassle with registration, the need to go to the embassy or Visa Center. But the opportunity to put a visa in the old passport will remain in the future.

But a biometric passport for a visa will simply not be accepted and they will advise you to go straight to the border. The EU is already preparing appropriate instructions for consulates, sources say EuroPravda.

Traveler's package

This question is the most mythologized.

There is a widespread opinion in social networks that “all those documents that have been carried to the consulate so far will now need to be taken to the border.” I even came across absurd mentions that European border guards would ask for a "certificate of debt to the housing office" and a "certificate of good conduct."

In the words of one of those who wrote to the EP, "I would like to know the exact list of 'certificates from the bathhouse' that will be needed at the border."

We have an answer to this question, and it is documented. The EU has the so-called "Schengen border code" (Schengen border code), which specifies the procedure and rules for crossing the border by foreigners.

Main takeaway from the code:

there are no additional requirements for those tourists who travel to the EU without visa regime.

Yes, European border guards will check the purpose of the trip of those traveling on a visa-free basis, but the requirements for them exactly the same as for visa holders. After all, when you arrived at the border with a visa in your passport, you may also not be allowed into the country. For example, if the border guard finds out that you are going to work on a tourist visa.

There are five requirements in the border code that apply to both "visa" and "visa-free" foreigners. Entry into the EU countries is allowed for those citizens who:

1) have a document in their hands for crossing the border ( international passport, travel document child, diplomatic passport, etc.);

2) can justify the purpose and conditions of stay in the EU;

3) have sufficient financial resources both for staying in the EU and for returning to Ukraine, or are able to obtain them legally (this is a direct quote from the border code);

4) are not on the list of persons who are prohibited from entering the EU;

5) do not pose a threat to public order, security, public health and international relations.

For those who do not have a biometric passport, a sixth item is added to this list - you need to have a valid visa in your passport.

We have already dealt with the first point.

In the fourth paragraph we are talking about those Ukrainians who were deported from the EU member states with a ban on entry to certain period(say, for a year or five years).

First of all, we are talking about violators of the visa regime - those who worked illegally in the EU, who stayed in the EU for more long term than provided by the visa, as well as about criminals convicted in the EU Member States and sent back to their homeland. And if the entry ban for a particular person has not yet expired, you can be sure: he will definitely be "wrapped" at the border.

By the way, this can create serious problems for Ukraine.

The number of those who are banned from entering the EU is not known for certain, but for sure we are talking about hundreds or even thousands of people. Visa violators in the very first weeks of visa-free travel can go to the border, where they will receive a bunch of refusals and worsen the country's statistics.

In the fifth paragraph (persons representing an international or criminal danger), we are talking about those who are in the bases of Interpol or Europol; another example is those who recently traveled to Syria or Iran. There are quite a few such people even on the scale of Ukraine.

It was not in vain that we missed the second and third points - they apply to all travelers without exception. Therefore, we will dwell on them in more detail.

"Where are you going?"

For starters - quite a bit of theory.

The visa regime is a rather archaic tool, which is why the EU is gradually abolishing it for other states. Save it only for those countries where there is a high level of visa refusals; Ukraine has not been one for a long time.

The main purpose of visa and border checks is make sure that the person does not plan to violate migration rules.

To put it simply, the EU has two key rules for travelers:

don't work without work visa and adhere to the so-called "rule of 90 days" (stay in the Schengen no more than 90 days for every 180 days).

It is these rules that are key and it is their observance that the border guard checks.

And now let's get back to the EU legislation, to the border code. The list of documents that the border guard may ask about is given in Appendix 1 to it and depends on the purpose of the trip.

For business trips (business trips) it is:

• meeting invitation, or
• other document confirming trade or business relations (note: this is a direct quote, that is, you yourself choose a convenient and possible document), or
• a ticket to an exhibition or meeting, if the purpose of the trip is to visit them.

By the way, please note that for business trips, a return ticket is not included in the list. binding documents, and this is logical - the term of a business visit may be delayed. But be prepared to explain this need to the border guard.

For tourism or private trips, you will be asked:

• accommodation booking or invitation (not official "visa", but arbitrary!) if you are going to stay with friends;
• return ticket (if you are traveling by car, this is not a requirement);
• route or plan of your trip.

Moreover, EU legislation gives the traveler the right to prove his integrity with various documents and gives more flexibility than the standard "visa" package.

Are you traveling by car and will you be camping? Great, then you can do without a reservation at all, explaining this to the border guard and providing him with data on the planned route.

But the main thing is that the border guards sometimes demand exactly the same documents even now!

As we have already noted, the border rules after the start of the visa-free regime remain unchanged. Anyone who travels to the EU will confirm: at the border they always ask about the purpose of the visit, and if the border guard has even a shadow of suspicion, he asks to see the relevant documents - either printouts or electronically.

But no "references from the housing office"!

We are talking exclusively about those documents that the traveler would still have to take with him when traveling abroad.

The myth of "bank statements"

The last item from the list of conditions for crossing the border is about financial solvency.

Again, this condition is valid even now, under the visa regime. Exactly to the same extent as it will operate under a visa-free regime. But for some reason, people like the myth that bank statements, employment certificates, real estate information, or any other proof of financial status will have to be brought to the border.

The myth has become so popular that even the Georgian Foreign Ministry has included this requirement ... in the list of tips for compatriots before the start of the visa-free regime! Posters with such a demand (among other points, of course) are now posted in the carriages of the Tbilisi metro.

Although the EU insists: this is not true. There is no such requirement in the official description of the visa-free rules for Georgia, which is distributed by the European Commission. And, of course, it is not in the EU border code.

It violates main principle: border guards do not require documents that a tourist does not take with him on a trip (and no sane traveler will take a certificate from a bank).

Moreover, it is nonsense - the opinion that someone will be interested in a certificate of your property. Recall that this paragraph of the border rules refers to the fact that you must have available funds for living. Obviously, real estate does not affect this in any way :)

The author of these lines has reason to believe that this item will not be a reason for mass checks with a visa-free regime. Cases when at the EU border they are asked to show cash are now rare; The experience of Moldova, where the visa-free regime has been in effect for three years, shows that this has not become a noticeable problem for our neighbors either.

But to be completely sure, let's figure out what options the EU legislation gives us. The Code offers the traveler several options:

1) cash (but almost no one in the EU carries significant amounts of cash);
2) travel checks (outdated and irrelevant);
3) paid accommodation and tickets;
4) financial guarantees of the inviting party;
5) credit cards.

Actually, the last point can be limited.

We live in the 21st century, and it is no secret for Europeans that credit cards are now the main mechanism for storing and spending money. From experience, in those rare cases when at the border they ask about funds, it is enough to present a card of international payment systems.

And forget about references.

"Nothing will change!"

It is difficult to say where the myths about "the same package of documents, only now - at the border" come from, because they have no connection with reality.

It is possible that foreign "friends" also had a hand in their distribution. Apparently, one should also say thanks to one's own desire to find "bad luck" where it does not exist. Probably, "added pepper" and the fact that Ukrainians were too often deceived in matters of visa-free travel, and therefore there is no faith now - at least, to the statements of politicians.

But here we are not talking about promises, but about legislation. In addition, about EU legislation, which is hastily you won't change.

Therefore, there is every reason to assert that most of the rumors that "visa-free travel is not real" and "nothing will change" are frankly false.

Yes, in the first months there will be certain problems and excesses. Yes, there will definitely be complications at the land border, primarily with Poland (after all, even now the checkpoints are overloaded there). Yes, people with a blank passport will be treated with great suspicion and more likely to be asked to show reservations, tickets and other documents.

But already after the first trip and the first stamp, the passport becomes not empty.

The only thing that poses a real threat is the non-compliance with the rules by us, the citizens of Ukraine. And if in half a year we hear about massive violations of the "rule of 90 days" or about "voyages" of illegal guest workers, then Ukraine will really get problems with a visa-free regime. But this is a completely different story, which, we hope, will never become a reality.

editor of "European Truth"

European politicians have previously agreed on the abolition of the visa regime for Ukraine. The website publication analyzed what benefits the citizens and authorities of the country will receive if the EU finally opens the doors for Ukrainians

On the evening of February 28, a long-awaited statement for the Ukrainian authorities was made that the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament had reached a consensus on the introduction of a visa-free regime for citizens of Ukraine.

“When the changes take effect, the owners biometric passports will be able to enter the EU for 90 days within a 180-day period for business, tourist or family trips.

Expectations of Ukrainians did not come true

Many residents of Ukraine expected that with the abolition of the visa regime, they would be able to go to work in European countries. However, the European Parliament emphasized that the visa-free regime does not give Ukrainian citizens the right to labor activity without permission, as well as staying on the territory of the EU countries for more than 90 days in each half of the year. In addition, you will still need to obtain permission to travel to the UK or Ireland. In other words, we are talking about visitor visas.

“The theme itself sounds beautiful, but in fact it is more than a symbolic gesture. The border crossing system will be more complicated: if earlier Ukrainians applied to the consulate and handed over a package of documents there, now they will carry the same documents with them and present them at the border, and the decision on permission to enter will be given not by the consul, but by the border guard,” - said Konstantin Bondarenko, chairman of the Institute of Ukrainian Politics, in an interview with the site.

In order to understand the benefits for Ukraine from a visa-free regime with European Union, it is worth referring to the experience of Moldova, for which the procedure for entry under similar conditions was liberalized in April 2014. Now the inhabitants of the country rely more on obtaining Romanian passports.

According to the political scientist, if Ukrainians want to go to work in European countries, then in the face of an influx of illegal migrants from other countries, they will face high competition for jobs in the low-skilled labor sector, which is mainly occupied by immigrants from Ukraine, many of whom have an average and higher education. Another problem is the language barrier - in Ukraine, a relatively small percentage of citizens who speak English and other languages. For this reason, the Russian direction is more attractive.

According to experts, about 3 million citizens of Ukraine are currently working abroad. A survey conducted by the Rating sociological group showed that 36% of Ukrainian labor migrants left for Poland, 25% for Russia, 5% each for the Czech Republic and Germany, and 3% for Italy.

Reversible Decision Power

According to the regulations, now this agreement must be confirmed by the relevant committee of the European Parliament, then this initiative at the plenary session by a majority of votes must be approved by the deputies of the European Parliament. After that, this initiative must be approved by the MEPs by a majority of votes, and then by the members of the EU Council by a qualified majority, that is, the idea must be supported by at least 55% of the member states (Great Britain, Ireland and Denmark do not vote on this issue, because they are not subject to common decisions in the field of EU migration policy, which was fixed at the time of the signing of the EU Treaty), which represent at least 65% of the population of the EU Member States. The decision shall enter into force 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

“There is nowhere to delay the solution of the issue of a visa-free regime for Ukraine. Now only bureaucratic obstacles remain, Kyiv, for its part, fulfilled all the requirements that were presented to it, even exceeded it, because the main block of issues was completed when Valeriy Khoroshkovsky was dealing with this issue, being Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of Ukraine. By December 2012, 3-4% of the requirements of the road map remained unfulfilled; after the events of 2013-2014, new requirements appeared, for example, a more active fight against corruption and the introduction of new standards, which was not the case in 2012. Now the approval by the EU Council and the European Parliament is a formality,” Konstantin Bondarenko believes.

European politicians secured themselves in advance against the negative consequences of the opening of borders for Georgia and Ukraine, therefore, as one of the conditions for granting a visa-free regime at the initiative of Germany and France, the approval of a mechanism for prompt suspension of its operation was adopted. The corresponding decision was made by the EU Council on February 27. According to the document, after a corresponding message from one of the EU states, the European Commission must decide within a month to cancel the principle of open borders for a period of nine months. The decision will take effect automatically. During this period, the European Commission, together with the countries concerned, must find a way out of the situation, due to which the visa-free regime was suspended. Previously, all EU states had to unanimously vote for a return to the visa regime with third countries, after which the procedure for denouncing the corresponding agreement followed.

The suspension of the visa-free regime is envisaged, in particular, in case of abuse of its conditions. For example, in the case of mass entry of people who are trying to emigrate illegally or work in the EU countries, as well as a significant increase in unfounded asylum applications or an increase in risk to public order or national security EU countries.