European Commission recommends visa-free travel for citizens of Georgia and Ukraine
Citizens of Georgia and Ukraine should pay attention to the reservations and requirements they must fulfill in order to take advantage of the right to enter the territory of the European Union without first visiting an embassy or consulate of a particular EU country. If the European Commission's proposal does not encounter opposition from the member states, the visa regime with Georgia and Ukraine is expected to be abolished in the summer or autumn of 2016.
To 30 countries – without visas, but with conditions
Georgia and Ukraine will then join the list of countries whose citizens do not require visas to enter the Schengen zone. In April 2014, Moldova became the first former Soviet republic (excluding the Baltic states) to obtain this status.
Visas will not be required for citizens of Georgia and Ukraine to travel to all EU member states, with the exception of the United Kingdom and Ireland. The visa-free regime also applies to non-EU countries Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.
The first requirement for this is a biometric passport. Citizens of Georgia and Ukraine should also remember that they may stay in the territory of Schengen states for a total of no more than 90 days within any 180-day period. Violation of this rule may lead to inclusion in the Schengen Information System (SIS) and a ban on entry into the EU.
Work is not allowed, study – under certain conditions
The visa-free regime does not grant the right to work in EU countries – a separate work permit is required for that. Moreover, for employment in most EU member states, citizens of Georgia and Ukraine will still need a visa, even if they intend to work for no more than three months.
Regarding study, if it involves short-term courses of up to 90 days, no visa or special permits are needed. But if the study period exceeds three months, some documents will be required. In this case, it is best to contact the embassy or consulate of the country where the study will take place, as the relevant rules vary from country to country.
Documents to bring along
When crossing the Schengen border, citizens of Georgia and Ukraine must carry practically all the documents typically required for obtaining a visa. A biometric passport may suffice, but an immigration officer has the right to ask for proof of the purpose and conditions of the trip, and evidence of sufficient funds for the stay in the EU and for the return journey.
Specifically, to prove solvency, one may need to present traveler's checks, accommodation booking confirmations, cash, and even credit card balances. The required amount depends directly on the duration and choice of country or countries for the trip.
If visiting relatives or friends, one should have an invitation with the host's address and phone number. Similarly, if the purpose is to attend a business or scientific conference, it is advisable to have an invitation. And if traveling for study, a confirmation of enrollment at the educational institution.
Travel health insurance is not mandatory, but, for example, EU consulates in Moldova recommend that Moldovans take it out anyway. The same applies to a return ticket.
Certainly, citizens of Georgia and Ukraine will have to bring many documents on their journeys, but they will not need to apply for visas at consulates, pay for them, or wait for processing.
Moldova's experience
For Moldova, similar rules have been in effect for over a year and a half. During this time, more than 500,000 citizens have used the right to enter EU countries without a visa based solely on a biometric passport. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of Moldova, biometric passports are held by about one-third of the country's population, i.e., more than one million people.
In the first year of the visa-free regime, 1,500 Moldovans were, for various reasons, denied entry to EU countries, and 2,500 overstayed their permitted period in EU states, risking being declared 'persona non grata' in the future. Immediately after the visa-free regime was introduced, demand for Romanian citizenship in Moldova fell, as many Moldovans had obtained it to work in the EU.
According to official Bucharest data, 445,000 Moldovan residents have acquired Romanian citizenship since 1992. However, once Moldovans realized that the new rules still did not allow them to work in EU countries without a visa, demand for Romanian passports began to rise again.
There are no data on how the introduction of the visa-free regime affected the frequency of Moldovans' trips to EU states. Partially, this can be gauged, for example, by the number of Moldovan tourists in Greece. According to the National Tourism Agency, only 811 Moldovans visited Greece in 2009, but after the visa abolition in 2014, more than 15,000 people did.