2003/454/EC: Council Decision of 13 June 2003 amending Annex 12 of the Common Consular Instructions and Annex 14a of the Common Manual on visa fees
Date: 2003-06-13
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: EU visa policy, Schengen Agreement, admission of aliens, operating cost, prices

L 152/82

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

20.6.2003

COUNCIL DECISION

of 13 June 2003

amending Annex 12 of the Common Consular Instructions and Annex 14a of the Common Manual
on visa fees

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

(2003/454/EC)

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 789/2001 of 24 April 2001 reserving to the Council imple-
menting powers with regard to certain detailed provisions and practical procedures for examining visa
applications (1),

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 790/2001 of 24 April 2001 reserving to the Council imple-
menting powers with regard to certain detailed provisions and practical procedures for carrying out border
checks and surveillance (2),

Having regard to the initiative of the Hellenic Republic,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

Council Decision 2002/44/EC of 20 December 2001 amending Part VII and Annex 12 to the
Common Consular Instructions and Annex 14a to the Common Manual (3) established that the fees
to be levied in connection with an application for a visa correspond to the administrative costs
incurred. The Common Consular Instructions and the Common Manual should therefore be
amended accordingly.

The amount to be charged should be revised at regular intervals.

In accordance with Articles 1 and 2 of the Protocol on the position of Denmark annexed to the
Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Denmark is not
taking part in the adoption of this Decision, and is not bound by it or subject to its application.
Given that this Decision builds upon the Schengen acquis under the provisions of Title IV of Part
Three of the Treaty establishing the European Community, Denmark shall,
in accordance with
Article 5 of the said Protocol, decide within a period of six months after the Council has adopted
this Decision whether it will implement it in its national law.

As regards Iceland and Norway, this Decision constitutes a development of provisions of the
Schengen acquis within the meaning of the Agreement concluded by the Council of the European
Union and the Republic of Iceland and the Kingdom of Norway concerning the association of those
two States with the implementation, application and development of the Schengen acquis (4), which
fall within the area referred to in Article 1, point A of Council Decision 1999/437/EC of 17 May
1999 on certain arrangements for the application of that Agreement (5).

This Decision constitutes a development of provisions of the Schengen acquis in which the United
Kingdom does not take part, in accordance with Council Decision 2000/365/EC of 19 May 2000
concerning the request of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to take part in
some of the provisions of the Schengen acquis (6); the United Kingdom is therefore not taking part in
its adoption and is not bound by it or subject to its application.

This Decision constitutes a development of provisions of the Schengen acquis in which Ireland does
not take part, in accordance with Council Decision 2002/192/EC of 28 February 2002 concerning
Ireland's request to take part in some of the provisions of the Schengen acquis (7); Ireland is therefore
not taking part in its adoption and is not bound by it or subject to its application.

(1) OJ L 116, 26.4.2001, p. 2.
(2) OJ L 116, 26.4.2001, p. 5.
(3) OJ L 20, 23.1.2002, p. 5.
(4) OJ L 176, 10.7.1999, p. 36.
(5) OJ L 176, 10.7.1999, p. 31.
(6) OJ L 131, 1.6.2000, p. 43.
(7) OJ L 64, 7.3.2002, p. 20.

20.6.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 152/83

(7)

This Decision constitutes an act building upon the Schengen acquis or otherwise related to it within
the meaning of Article 3(2) of the 2003 Act of Accession,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

The table of Annex 12 of the Common Consular Instructions and the table of Annex 14a of the Common
Manual are replaced by the following table:

‘Fees to be charged, corresponding to the administrative costs of processing the visa application

Type of visa

Fees to be charged (in EUR)

Airport transit visa (Category A)

Transit visa (Category B)

Short-stay visa (1 to 90 days) (Category C)

Multiple entry visa, valid for 1 to 5 years (Category C)

Visa with limited territorial validity (Categories B and C )

Visa issued at the border (Categories B and C)

35

35

35

35

35

35
This visa may be issued free of charge.

Group visa (Categories A, B and C)

EUR 35 + EUR 1 per person

National long-stay visa (Category D)

The amount shall be fixed by the Member States, who
may decide to issue these visas free of charge.

National long-stay visa valid concurrently as a short stay
visa (Category D + C)

The amount shall be fixed by the Member States, who
may decide to issue these visas free of charge.’

This Decision shall apply from 1 July 2005 at the latest.

Article 2

Member States may apply this Decision before 1 July 2005, provided that they notify the General Secre-
tariat of the Council of the date from which they are in a position to do so.

This Decision is addressed to the Member States in accordance with the Treaty establishing the European
Community.

Article 3

Done at Luxembourg, 13 June 2003.

For the Council

The President

G. PAPANDREOU