EU Community Code on Visas to come into effect on April 5 2010
2010-03-26 14:02:00
ArmInfo. The Community Code on Visas was adopted on 13 July 2009. It
will become applicable from 5 April 2010.
Consul of the French Embassy in Armenia Frederick Grapeng told media
on Friday that all the consular rules for visa provision to the
Schengen countries will be changed. The new Visa Code is compulsory
for all the Schengen countries.
The "Visa Code" covers the procedures and conditions for issuing
short-stay visas and airport transit visas and will repeal the Common
Consular Instructions and a number of other Schengen-related
decisions. Schengen visas are issued only for stay(s) that do not
exceed three months within a six-month period. Visas for visits
exceeding that period remain subject to national procedures and
authorise the holder to stay on the national territory of the host
Member State only. However, such visas entitle their holders to
transit through Schengen territory on their way to the issuing
Schengen State (subject to the usual conditions for entry into the
Schengen area). In addition, such visas are (under certain conditions)
valid as uniform short-stay visas for a period of not more than three
months from their initial date of validity.
Types of visas issued: A: airport transit visa B: transit visa C:
short-stay visa D+C: NATIONAL long-stay visa valid concurrently as a
short-stay visa VTL1: visa with limited territorial validity ADS2:
visas issued for members of tourist groups from the People’s Republic
of China Frederick Grapeng said passports of applicants must be
provided maximum 10 years ago and contain at least 2 blank pages. The
Armenian authorities have been informed of these changes, the Consul
said when commenting of the practice of passport validity extension in
Armenia. In addition, he said that insurance declaration will be
included in the visa application form, which will facilitate the
general procedure of visa provision. Consul said that the new
application forms will be more comprehensive and will contain a
provision on biometrical data (fingerprints).