Proposal for a Council Decision on the signature of the Agreement between the European Community and the Russian Federation on the facilitation of issuance of short-stay visas
Date: 2006-04-26
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU Member State, EU visa policy, European Community, Russia, admission of aliens, national, rights of aliens, signature of an agreement

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 26.4.2006 
COM(2006) 188 final 

2006/0062 (CNS) 

Proposal for a  

COUNCIL DECISION 

on the signature of the Agreement between the European Community and the Russian 
Federation on the facilitation of issuance of short-stay visas 

Proposal for a 

COUNCIL DECISION 

on the conclusion of the Agreement between the European Community and the Russian 
Federation on the facilitation of issuance of short-stay visas 

(presented by the Commission) 

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EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM 

I. POLITICAL AND LEGAL BACKGROUND 

The EU and Russia agreed at the St. Petersburg Summit to conclude timely the negotiations 
on  a  readmission  agreement  and  to  promote  the  better  use  of  existing  flexibilities  in  the 
Schengen agreement regarding visa.  

Following  the  authorization  given  by  the  Council  to  the  Commission  on  12  July  2004, 
negotiations with the Russian Federation on the facilitation of the issuance of short-say visas 
were  opened  in  Brussels  on  20-21  October  2004,  back-to-back  with  the  continuation  of 
negotiations  on  a  readmission  agreement.  Six  rounds  of  negotiations  and  four  technical 
meetings were held. The final texts of the readmission and visa facilitation agreements were 
initialled (first and last page) by the Vice-President of the European Commission, Mr Franco 
Frattini,  and  Presidential  Aide,  Mr  Viktor  Ivanov,  at  the  occasion  of  the  PPC  JHA  Troika 
meeting between the Russian Federation and the EU on 13 October 2005 in Luxembourg. The 
formal  initialling  of  the  complete  texts  of  the  two  agreements  took  place  in  Moscow  on  4 
April 2006. 

Member  States  have  been  regularly  informed  and  consulted  in  relevant  Council  Working 
groups and committees at all stages of the negotiations. 

On the part of the Community, the legal basis for the Agreement is Article 62 par. 2 lit. b), in 
conjunction with Article 300 TEC. 

The attached proposals constitute the legal instruments for the signature and conclusion of the 
Agreement.  The  Council  will  decide  by  qualified  majority.  The  European  Parliament  will 
have  to  be  formally  consulted  on  the  conclusion  of  the  Agreement,  in  accordance  with  Art. 
300 par. 3 EC Treaty. 

The proposed decision concerning the conclusion sets out the necessary internal arrangements 
for  the  practical  application  of  the  Agreement.  In  particular,  it  specifies  that  the  European 
Commission, assisted by experts from Member States, represents the Community within the 
Joint Committee set up by Article 13 of the Agreement.  

Under  Article  13(4),  the  visa  facilitation  Joint  Committee  may  adopt  its  own  rules  of 
procedure. The Community position in this regard shall be established by the Commission in 
consultation with a special committee designated by the Council. 

II. OUTCOME OF NEGOTIATIONS 

The Commission considers that the objectives set by the Council in its negotiating directives 
were attained and that the draft visa facilitation agreement is acceptable to the Community. 

The final content of it can be summarised as follows: 

–  in principle, for all visa applicants, a decision on whether or not to issue a visa will have to 
be taken within 10 calendar days. This period may be extended up to 30 days when further 
scrutiny is needed. In urgent cases, the period for taking a decision may  be reduced to 3 
days or less; 

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–  the visa fee applied by Russia have been very substantially reduced by aligning it to 35 € 
(current  Schengen  visa  fee).  This  fee  will  be  applied  to  all  EU  and  Russian  citizens 
(including tourists) and concerns both single and multiple-entry visas. There is a possibility 
of charging a higher fee of 70 € in case of urgent requests, where the visa application and 
supporting documents are submitted by the visa applicant without justification only three 
days or less before his/her departure. This does not apply to cases related to humanitarian 
or  health  reasons,  and  death  of  relatives.  Moreover,  certain  categories  of  persons  benefit 
from  a  waiving  of  the  visa  fee:  close  relatives,  officials  participating  in  government 
activities, students, persons participating in cultural and educational exchange programmes 
or sporting events and humanitarian cases; 

–  the documents to be presented have been simplified for some categories of persons: close 
relatives,  business  people,  members  of  official  delegations,  students,  participants  in 
scientific,  cultural  and  sporting  events,  journalists,  persons  visiting  military  and  civil 
burials  grounds,  drivers  conducting  international  cargo  and  passenger  transportation 
services. For these categories of persons, only the documents listed in the agreement can be 
requested  for  justifying  the  purpose  of  the  journey.  No  other  justification,  invitation  or 
validation provided for by the legislation of the Parties is required;  

–  there  are  also  simplified  criteria  for  issuing  multiple-entry  visas  for  the  following 

categories of persons: 

a) 

b) 

for  members  of  national  and  regional  governments  and  parliaments,  Constitutional 
and  Supreme  Courts,  and  spouses  and  children  visiting  citizens  of  the  EU  or  the 
Russian Federation legally residing in the other Party: visa valid up to five years (or 
shorter, limited to the period of the validity of their mandate or authorisation for legal 
residence, respectively). 

for  members  of  official  delegations,  business  people,  participants  in  scientific, 
cultural  and  sporting  events,  journalists  and  drivers  and  train  crews,  provided  that 
during  the  previous  two  years  they  have  made  good  use  of  a  1  year  multiple-entry 
visas and the reasons for requesting a multiple-entry are still valid: visas valid for a 
minimum of 2 years and a maximum of 5 years are issued; 

–  holders of diplomatic passports are exempted from the visa requirement for short-stays. A 
Joint Declaration states that each Party might invoke a suspension of the provision related 
to visa waiver for holders of diplomatic passports (article 11), if the implementation of this 
provision is abused by the other Party or leads to a threat to public security. 

–  regarding  registration  procedures,  both  Parties  agree  to  undertake  measures  as  soon  as 
possible  with  a  view  to  simplify  them.  In  an  exchange  of  letters  between  the  UK 
Presidency  and  the  Russian  Ambassador  to  the  EU  dated  6  October  2005,  it  was  agreed 
that this issue be considered regularly in the framework of JHA related meeting between 
the  EU  and  Russia.  The  EU-Russia  Permanent  Partnership  Council  (JHA),  held  in 
Luxembourg  on  13  October  2005,  offered  a  first  opportunity  for  a  positive  exchange  of 
views on this issue. 

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–  a  protocol  was  agreed,  according  to  which  the  European  Community  would  undertake 
measures to simplify the transit of holders of Schengen visa or Schengen residence permits 
through the territory of the Member States that do not fully apply the Schengen acquis yet. 
The Commission presented on 22 August 2005 a proposal for a simplified regime for the 
control  of  persons  at  the  external  borders  based  on  the  unilateral  recognition  by  new 
Member  States  of  certain  documents  issued  by  Schengen  States.  Negotiations  on  this 
proposal are progressing and should be concluded in the coming months. 

The  specific  situations  of  Denmark,  the  United  Kingdom  and  Ireland  are  reflected  in  the 
preamble  and  in  two  joint  declarations  attached  to  the  Agreement.  The  close  association  of 
Norway  and  Iceland  to  the  implementation,  application  and  development  of  the  Schengen 
Acquis is likewise reflected in a joint declaration to the Agreement. 

Since  the  two  agreements  on  visa  facilitation  and  readmission  are  linked,  both  agreements 
should be signed, concluded and enter into force simultaneously.  

III. CONCLUSIONS 

In the light of the above-mentioned results, the Commission proposes that the Council 

–  decide  that  the  Agreement  be  signed  on  behalf  of  the  Community  and  authorise  the 
President of the Council to appoint the person(s) duly empowered to sign on behalf of the 
Community; 

–  approve,  after  consultation  of  the  European  Parliament,  the  attached  Agreement  between 
the European Community and the Russian Federation on the facilitation of the issuance of 
short-stay visas. 

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Proposal for a  

COUNCIL DECISION 

on the signature of the Agreement between the European Community and the Russian 
Federation on the facilitation of issuance of short-stay visas 

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 

Having  regard  to  the  Treaty  establishing  the  European  Community,  and  in  particular 
Article 62,(2)(b)(i) and (ii), in conjunction with the first sentence of the first subparagraph of 
Article 300(2) thereof, 

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission1, 

Whereas: 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

(4) 

(5) 

By its decision of 12 July 2004, the Council authorised the Commission to negotiate 
an agreement between the European Community and the Russian Federation regarding 
the facilitation of the issuance of short-stay visas. 

Negotiations on the agreement were opened on 20-21 October 2004 and concluded on 
12 October 2005. 

Subject to its possible conclusion at a later date, it is desirable to sign the agreement 
that was initialled in Moscow on 4 April 2006.  

In  accordance  with  the  Protocol  on  the  position  of  the  United  Kingdom  and  Ireland, 
and the Protocol integrating the Schengen acquis into the framework of the European 
Union,  the  United  Kingdom  and  Ireland  do  not  take  part  in  the  adoption  of  this 
Decision and are therefore not bound by it or subject to its application.  

In accordance with the Protocol on the position of Denmark, annexed to the Treaty on 
European  Union  and  to  the  Treaty  establishing  the  European  Community,  Denmark 
does not take part in the adoption of this Decision and is therefore not bound by it or 
subject to its application. 

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:  

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OJ C, p. . 

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Sole Article 

Subject  to  a  possible  conclusion  at  a  later  date,  the  President  of  the  Council  is  hereby 
authorised  to  designate  the  person(s)  empowered  to  sign,  on  behalf  of  the  European 
Community, the Agreement between the European Community and the Russian Federation on 
the facilitation of the issuance of short-stay visas and the related documents consisting of the 
text of the agreement, a Protocol and seven joint declarations. 

Done in Brussels, the………..of…………2006. 

For the Council 
The President 

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2006/0062 (CNS) 

Proposal for a 

COUNCIL DECISION 

on the conclusion of the Agreement between the European Community and the Russian 
Federation on the facilitation of issuance of short-stay visas 

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 

Having  regard  to  the  Treaty  establishing  the  European  Community,  and  in  particular 
Article 62(2)(b)(i) and (ii), in conjunction with the first sentence of the first subparagraph of 
Article 300 (2) and the first subparagraph of Article 300 (3) thereof, 

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission2, 

Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament3 

Whereas: 

(1) 

(2) 

The Commission has negotiated on behalf of the European Community an Agreement 
with the Russian Federation on the facilitation of the issuance of short-stay visas; 

This  Agreement  has  been  signed,  on  behalf  of  the  European  Community,  on 
…….2006  subject  to  its  possible  conclusion  at  a  later  date,  in  accordance  with 
Decision……../……/EC of the Council of [………….] 

(3) 

This Agreement should be approved.  

(4) 

(5) 

(6) 

The Agreement establishes a Joint Committee for the management of the Agreement, 
which  may  adopt  its  rules  of  procedure.  It  is  appropriate  to  provide  for  a  simplified 
procedure for the establishment of the Community position in this case.  

In  accordance  with  the  Protocol  on  the  position  of  the  United  Kingdom  and  Ireland, 
and the Protocol integrating the Schengen acquis into the framework of the European 
Union,  the  United  Kingdom  and  Ireland  do  not  take  part  in  the  adoption  of  this 
Decision and are therefore not bound by it or subject to its application. 

In accordance with the Protocol on the position of Denmark, annexed to the Treaty on 
European  Union  and  to  the  Treaty  establishing  the  European  Community,  Denmark 
does not take part in the adoption of this Decision and is therefore not bound by it or 
subject to its application. 

2 
3 

OJ C… 
OJ C… 

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HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS: 

Article 1 

The  Agreement  between  the  European  Community  and  the  Russian  Federation  on  the 
facilitation of the issuance of short-stay visas is hereby approved on behalf of the Community. 

The text of the agreement is attached to this Decision. 

The President of the Council shall give the notification provided for in Article 15 paragraph 1 
of the Agreement4. 

Article 2 

The Commission, assisted by experts from Member States, shall represent the Community in 
the Joint Committee of experts established by Article 13 of the Agreement. 

Article 3 

Article 4 

The  position  of  the  Community  within  the  Joint  Committee  of  experts  with  regard  to  the 
adoption of its rules of procedure as required under Article 13 (4) of the Agreement shall be 
taken  by  the  Commission  after  consultation  with  a  special  committee  designated  by  the 
Council. 

Done in Brussels, the………of…………2006. 

For the Council 
The President 

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The date of entry into force of the Agreement will be published in the Official Journal of the European 
Union [by the General Secretariat of the Council]. 

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Annex 

AGREEMENT 

between 

the European Community and the Russian Federation  

on the facilitation of the issuance of visas 

to the citizens of the European Union and the Russian Federation 

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THE PARTIES, 

THE  EUROPEAN  COMMUNITY,  hereinafter  referred  to  as  “the  Community”  and  THE 
RUSSIAN FEDERATION, 

Desiring  to  facilitate  people  to  people  contacts  as  an  important  condition  for  a  steady 
development of economic, humanitarian, cultural, scientific and other ties, by facilitating the 
issuing of visas to the citizens of the European Union and the Russian Federation on the basis 
of reciprocity; 

Having  regard  to  the  Joint  Statement  agreed  on  the  occasion  of  the  St.Petersburg  Summit 
held  on  31  May  2003  stating  that  the  European  Union  and  the Russian  Federation  agree  to 
examine the conditions for visa-free travel as a long term perspective; 

Reaffirming  the  intention  to  establish  the  visa-free  travel  regime  between  the  Russian 
Federation and the European Union; 

Bearing  in  mind  the  Agreement  on  Partnership  and  Co-operation  of  24  June  1994 
establishing a Partnership between the European Communities and their Member States, on 
the one part, and the Russian Federation, on the other part;  

Having regard to the Joint Statement on EU Enlargement and EU-Russia Relations agreed on 
27 April 2004 confirming the intention of the European Union and the Russian Federation to 
facilitate visa issuance for the citizens of the European Union and the Russian Federation on 
a reciprocal basis and to launch negotiations with a view to concluding an agreement; 

Recognising  that  this  facilitation  should  not  lead  to  illegal  migration  and  paying  special 
attention to security and readmission; 

Taking into account the Protocol on the position of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and 
Northern  Ireland  and  Ireland  and  the  Protocol  integrating  the  Schengen  acquis  into  the 
framework of the European Union, annexed to the Treaty on European Union of 7 February 
1992 and the Treaty establishing the European Community of 25 March 1957 and confirming 
that the provisions of this agreement do not apply to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and 
Northern Ireland and Ireland; 

Taking  into  account  the  Protocol  on  the  position  of  Denmark  annexed  to  the  Treaty  on 
European Union of 7 February 1992 and the Treaty establishing the European Community of 
25  March  1957  and  confirming  that  the  provisions  of  this  agreement  do  not  apply  to  the 
Kingdom of Denmark. 

HAVE AGREED AS FOLLOWS: 

Article 1- Purpose and scope of application 

The  purpose  of  this  Agreement  is  to  facilitate,  on  the  basis  of  reciprocity,  the  issuance  of 
visas for an intended stay of no more than 90 days per period of 180 days to the citizens of 
the European Union and the Russian Federation. 

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Article 2- General clause 

1. 

2. 

The  visa  facilitations  provided  in  this  Agreement  shall  apply  to  citizens  of  the 
European Union and of the Russian Federation only insofar as they are not exempted 
from the visa requirement by the laws and regulations of the Russian Federation, of 
the Community or the Member States, the present agreement or other international 
agreements. 

The national law of the Russian Federation, or of the Member States or Community 
law shall apply to issues not covered by the provisions of this Agreement, such as 
the refusal to issue a visa, recognition of travel documents, proof of sufficient means 
of subsistence and the refusal of entry and expulsion measures. 

For the purpose of this Agreement: 

Article 3- Definitions 

a) 

b) 

c) 

d) 

"Member  State"  shall  mean  any  Member  State  of  the  European  Union,  with  the 
exception  of  the  Kingdom  of  Denmark,  Ireland  and  the  United  Kingdom  of  Great 
Britain and Northern Ireland; 

“Citizen of the European Union” shall mean a national of a Member State as defined 
in point (a); 

“Citizen  of  the  Russian  Federation”  shall  mean  a  person,  who  possesses  or  has 
acquired  citizenship  of  the  Russian  Federation  in  accordance  with  its  national 
legislation. 

“Visa”  shall  mean  an  authorization/permission  issued  or  a  decision  taken  by  a 
Member State or by the Russian Federation which is required with a view to: 

–  entry for an intended stay of no more than 90 days in total in that Member State 

or in several Member States or in the Russian Federation, 

–  entry  for  transit  through  the  territory  of  that  Member  State  or  several  Member 

States or of the Russian Federation. 

e) 

“legally residing person” shall mean: 

–  for  the  Russian  Federation,  a  citizen  of  the  European  Union  who  acquired  a 
permission  for  temporary  residing,  a  residence  permit  or  an  educational  or 
working visa for a period of more than 90 days in the Russian Federation; 

–  for the European Union, a citizen of the Russian Federation authorized or entitled 
to stay for more than 90 days in the territory of a Member State, on the basis of 
Community or national legislation. 

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1. 

a) 

Article 4- Documentary evidence regarding the purpose of the journey 

For  the  following  categories  of  citizens  of  the  European  Union  and  of  the  Russian 
Federation, the following documents are sufficient for justifying the purpose of the 
journey to the other Party: 

for  members  of  official  delegations  who, following an official invitation addressed 
to  the  Member  States,  the  European  Union  or  the  Russian  Federation,  shall 
participate in meetings, consultations, negotiations or exchange programmes, as well 
as  in  events  held  in  the  territory  of  the  Russian  Federation  or  one  of  the  Member 
States by intergovernmental organisations: 

–  a  letter  issued  by  a  competent  authority  of  a  Member  State  or  of  the  Russian 
Federation,  or  by  a  European  institution  confirming  that  the  applicant  is  a 
member of its delegation travelling to the territory of the other Party to participate 
at the aforementioned events, accompanied by a copy of the official invitation; 

b) 

for business people and representatives of business organisations: 

–  a written request from a host legal person or company, organisation, or an office 
or  their  branches,  state  and  local  authorities  of  the  Russian  Federation  and  the 
Member  States  or  organizing  committees  of  trade  and  industrial  exhibitions, 
conferences and symposia held in the territories of the Russian Federation or one 
of the Member States; 

c) 

for  drivers  conducting  international  cargo  and  passenger  transportation  services 
between the territories of the Russian Federation and the Member States in vehicles 
registered in the Member States or in the Russian Federation:  

–  a written request from the national association (union) of carriers of the Russian 
Federation or the national associations of carriers of the Member States providing 
for international road transportation, stating the purpose, duration and frequency 
of the trips; 

d) 

for  members  of  train,  refrigerator  and  locomotive  crews  in  international  trains, 
traveling between the territories of the Member States and the Russian Federation:  

–  a written request from the competent railway company of the Russian Federation 
or the Member States stating the purpose, duration and frequency of the trips; 

e) 

for journalists: 

–  a certificate or other document issued by a professional organisation proving that 
the  person  concerned  is  a  qualified  journalist  and  a  document  issued  by  his/her 
employer stating that the purpose of the journey is to carry out journalistic work;  

f) 

for  persons  participating  in  scientific,  cultural  and  artistic  activities,  including 
university and other exchange programmes: 

–  a written request from the host organisation to participate in those activities; 

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g) 

for  pupils,  students,  post-graduate  students  and  accompanying  teachers  who 
undertake  trips  for  the  purposes  of  study  or  educational  training,  including  in  the 
framework of exchange programmes as well as other school related activities: 

–  a written request or a certificate of enrolment from the host university, academy, 
institute,  college  or  school  or  student  cards  or  certificates  of  the  courses  to  be 
attended. 

h) 

for  participants  in  international  sports  events  and  persons  accompanying  them  in  a 
professional capacity: 

–  a written request from the host organisation: competent authorities, national sport 
Federations  of  the  Member  States  or  the  Russian  Federation  and  National 
Olympic Committee of the Russian Federation or National Olympic Committees 
of the Member States; 

i) 

for participants in official exchange programmes organised by twin cities: 

–  a written request of the Head of Administration/Mayor of these cities. 

j) 

for  close  relatives  -  spouses,  children  (including  adopted),  parents  (including 
custodians),  grandparents  and  grandchildren  -  visiting  citizens  of  the  European 
Union  or  the  Russian  Federation  legally  residing  in  the  territory  of  the  Russian 
Federation or the Member States: 

–  a written request from the host person. 

k) 

for visiting military and civil burial grounds:  

2. 

a) 

b) 

c) 

–  an  official  document  confirming  the  existence  and  preservation  of  the  grave  as 

well as family or other relationship between the applicant and the buried. 

The  written  request  mentioned  in  paragraph  1  of  this  Article  shall  contain  the 
following items:  

for the invited person - name and surname, date of birth, sex, citizenship, number of 
the identity document, time and purpose of the journey, number of entries and name 
of minor children accompanying the invited person; 

for the inviting person - name, surname and address or 

for the inviting legal person, company or organisation - full name and address and 

–  if  the  request  is  issued  by  an  organisation,  the  name  and  position  of  the  person 

who signs the request; 

–  if  the  inviting  person  is  a  legal  person  or  company  or  an  office  or  their  branch 
established in the territory of a Member State, the registration number as required 
by the national law of the Member State concerned; 

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–  if  the  inviting  person  is  a  legal  person  or  company  or  an  office  or  their  branch 
established  in  the  territory  of  the  Russian  Federation,  the  tax  identification 
number. 

For the categories of citizens mentioned in paragraph 1 of this Article, all categories 
of visas are issued according to the simplified procedure without requiring any other 
justification, invitation or validation concerning the purpose of the journey, provided 
for by the legislation of the Parties. 

Article 5 - Issuance of multiple-entry visas 

Diplomatic  missions  and  consular  posts  of  the  Member  States  and  of  the  Russian 
Federation  shall  issue  multiple-entry  visas  with  the  term  of  validity  of  up  to  five 
years to the following categories of citizens:  

members  of  national  and  regional  Governments  and  Parliaments,  Constitutional 
Courts and Supreme Courts, if they are not exempted from the visa requirement by 
the present Agreement, in the exercise of their duties, with a term of validity limited 
to their term of office if this is less than 5 years; 

spouses  and  children  (including  adopted),  who  are  under  the  age  of  21  or  are 
dependant,  visiting  citizens  of  the  European  Union  and  the  Russian  Federation 
legally residing in the territory of the Russian Federation or the Member States, with 
the term of validity limited to the duration of the validity of their authorisation for 
legal residence. 

Diplomatic  missions  and  consular  posts  of  the  Member  States  and  of  the  Russian 
Federation shall issue multiple-entry visas with the term of validity of up to one year 
to the  following categories  of citizens, provided that during  the previous  year they 
have obtained at least one visa, have made use of it in accordance with the laws on 
entry  and  stay  in  the  territory  of  the  visited  State  and  that  there  are  reasons  for 
requesting a multiple-entry visa: 

for  members  of  official  delegations  who, following an official invitation addressed 
to  the  Member  States,  the  European  Union  or  the  Russian  Federation,  shall 
participate in official meetings, consultations, negotiations or exchange programmes, 
as  well  as  in  events  held  in  the  territory  of  the  Russian  Federation  or  one  of  the 
Member States by intergovernmental organisations;  

business people and representatives of business organisations who regularly travel to 
the Russian Federation or the Member States; 

drivers conducting international cargo and passenger transportation services between 
the territories of the Russian Federation and the Member States in vehicles registered 
in the Member States or the Russian Federation; 

members of train, refrigerator and locomotive crews in international trains, traveling 
between the territories of the Russian Federation and the Member States; 

3. 

1. 

a) 

b) 

2. 

a) 

b) 

c) 

d) 

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e) 

f) 

g) 

h) 

3. 

4. 

persons participating in scientific, cultural and artistic activities, including university 
and other exchange programmes, who regularly travel to the Russian Federation or 
the Member States; 

participants  in  international  sports  events  and  persons  accompanying  them  in  a 
professional capacity;  

journalists; 

participants in official exchange programmes organised by twin cities. 

Diplomatic  missions  and  consular  posts  of  the  Member  States  and  of  the  Russian 
Federation shall issue multiple-entry visas with the term of validity of a minimum of 
2  years  and  a  maximum  of  5  years  to  the  categories  of  citizens  referred  to  in 
paragraph  2  of  this  Article,  provided  that  during  the  previous  two  years  they  have 
made use of the one year multiple-entry visas in accordance with the laws on entry 
and  stay  in  the  territory  of  the  visited  State  and  that  the  reasons  for  requesting  a 
multiple-entry visa are still valid.  

The  total  period  of  stay  of  persons  referred  to  in  paragraphs  1  to  3  of  this  Article 
shall not exceed 90 days per period of 180 days in the territory of the Member States 
or in the Russian Federation. 

Article 6-Fees for processing visa applications 

1. 

The fee for processing visa applications shall amount to 35€. 

2. 

3. 

a) 

b) 

The  aforementioned  amount  may  be  reviewed  in  accordance  with  the  procedure 
provided for in Article 15(4). 

The  Parties  shall  charge  a  fee  of  70  €  for  processing  visas  in  cases  where  the  visa 
application and the supporting documents have been submitted by the visa applicant 
within three days before his/her envisaged date of departure. This will not apply to 
cases pursuant to Article 6(3), (b), (e) and (f) and Article 7(3).  

Fees  for  processing  the  visa  application  are  waived  for  the  following  categories  of 
persons: 

for  close  relatives  -  spouses,  children  (including  adopted)  parents  (including 
custodians), grandparents and grandchildren-of citizens of the European Union and 
of the Russian Federation legally residing in the territory of the Russian Federation 
or the Member States; 

for  members  of  official  delegations  who, following an official invitation addressed 
to  the  Member  States,  the  European  Union  or  the  Russian  Federation,  shall 
participate in meetings, consultations, negotiations or exchange programmes, as well 
as  in  events  held  in  the  territory  of  the  Russian  Federation  or  one  of  the  Member 
States by intergovernmental organisations; 

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c) 

d) 

e) 

f) 

g) 

h) 

members  of  national  and  regional  Governments  and  Parliaments,  Constitutional 
Courts and Supreme Courts, if they are not exempted from the visa requirement by 
the present Agreement;  

pupils,  students,  post-graduate  students  and  accompanying  teachers  who  undertake 
trips for the purpose of study or educational training; 

disabled persons and the person accompanying them, if necessary; 

persons  who  have  presented  documents  proving  the  necessity  of  their  travel  on 
humanitarian grounds, including to receive urgent medical treatment and the person 
accompanying  such  person,  or  to  attend  a  funeral  of  a  close  relative,  or  to  visit  a 
close relative seriously ill; 

participants in youth international sports events and persons accompanying them. 

persons participating in scientific, cultural and artistic activities including university 
and other exchange programmes; 

i) 

participants in official exchange programmes organised by twin cities. 

Article 7- Length of procedures for processing visa applications 

1. 

2. 

3. 

Diplomatic  missions  and  consular  posts  of  the  Member  States  and  the  Russian 
Federation shall take a decision on the request to issue a visa within 10 calendar days 
of the date of the receipt of the application and documents required for issuing the 
visa. 

The period of time for taking a decision on a visa application may be extended up to 
30 calendar days in individual cases, notably when further scrutiny of the application 
is needed. 

The period of time for taking a decision on a visa application may be reduced to 3 
working days or less in urgent cases.  

Article 8- Departure in case of lost or stolen documents 

Citizens  of  the  European  Union  and  of  the  Russian  Federation  who  have  lost  their  identity 
documents, or from whom these documents have been stolen while staying in the territory of 
the Russian Federation or the Member States, may leave that territory on the grounds of valid 
identity documents entitling to cross the border issued by diplomatic  missions or consular 
posts  of  the  Member  States  or  of  the  Russian  Federation  without  any  visa  or  other 
authorization.  

Article 9- Extension of visa in exceptional circumstances 

The  citizens  of  the  European  Union  and  of  the  Russian  Federation  who  do  not  have  the 
possibility to leave the territory of the Russian Federation and of the Member States by the 
time  stated  in  their  visas  for  reasons  of  force  majeure  shall  have  the  term  of  their  visas 
extended free of charge in accordance with the legislation applied by the receiving State for 
the period required for their return to the State of their residence.  

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Article 10- Registration procedures 

The  Parties  agree  to  undertake  measures  as  soon  as  possible  to  simplify  the  procedures  of 
registration, with the view to entitle the citizens of the Russian Federation and citizens of the 
European Union to the equal treatment regarding registration procedures while staying in the 
territory of the Russian Federation or of the Member States, respectively.  

Article 11- Diplomatic passports 

1. 

2. 

Citizens of the Russian Federation or the Member States, holders of valid diplomatic 
passports can enter, leave and transit through the territories of the Member States or 
the Russian Federation without visas.  

Citizens  mentioned  in  paragraph  1  of  this  Article  may  stay  in  the  territories  of  the 
Russian  Federation  or  the  Member  States  for  a  period  not  exceeding  90  days  per 
period of 180 days. 

Article 12- Territorial validity of visas 

Subject  to  the  national  rules  and  regulations  concerning  national  security  of  the  Russian 
Federation and of the Member States and subject to EU rules on visas with limited territorial 
validity, the citizens of the Russian Federation and of the European Union shall be entitled to 
travel within the territory of the Member States and of the Russian Federation on equal basis 
with European Union and Russian citizens. 

Article 13- Joint Committee for management of the Agreement 

The  Parties  shall  set  up  a  Joint  Committee  for  management  of  the  Agreement 
(hereinafter  referred  to  as  “the  Committee”),  composed  by  representatives  of  the 
European  Community  and  of  the  Russian  Federation.  The  Community  shall  be 
represented  by  the  European  Commission,  assisted  by  experts  from  the  Member 
States. 

The Committee shall, in particular, have the following tasks: 

monitoring the implementation of the present Agreement; 

suggesting amendments or additions to the present Agreement; 

examine and, if deemed necessary, propose amendments to this agreement in case of 
new accessions to the European Union. 

The  Committee  shall  meet  whenever  necessary  at  the  request  of  one  of  the  Parties 
and at least once a year. 

The Committee shall establish its rules of procedure.  

1. 

2. 

(a) 

(b) 

(c) 

3. 

4. 

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Article 14- Relation of this Agreement with Agreements between Member States and 

the Russian Federation 

As  from  its  entry  into  force,  this  Agreement  shall  take  precedence  over  provisions  of  any 
bilateral or multilateral agreements or arrangements concluded between Member States and 
the  Russian  Federation,  insofar  as  the  provisions  of  the  latter  agreements  or  arrangements 
cover issues that are dealt with by the present Agreement. 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

Article 15- Final clauses 

This Agreement shall be ratified or approved by the Parties in accordance with their 
respective procedures and shall enter into force on the first day of the second month 
following the date on which the Parties notify each other that the procedures referred 
to above have been completed. 

By way of derogation to paragraph 1 of this Article, the present agreement shall only 
enter  into  force  at  the  date  of  the  entry  into  force  of  the  agreement  between  the 
Russian Federation and the European Community on readmission if this date is after 
the date provided for in paragraph 1 of this Article. 

This Agreement  is  concluded for  an  indefinite period of time, unless terminated in 
accordance with paragraph 6 of this Article. 

This Agreement may be amended by written agreement of the Parties. Amendments 
shall enter into force after the Parties have notified each other of the completion of 
their internal procedures necessary for this purpose. 

Each  Party  may  suspend  in  whole  or  in  part  this  Agreement  for  reasons  of  public 
order, protection of national security or protection of public health. The decision on 
suspension shall be notified to the other Party not later than 48 hours before its entry 
into  force.  The  Party  that  has  suspended  the  application  of  this  Agreement  shall 
immediately  inform  the  other  Party  once  the  reasons  for  the  suspension  no  longer 
apply. 

Each Party may terminate this Agreement by giving written notice to the other Party. 
This Agreement shall cease to be in force 90 days after the date of receipt of such 
notification. 

Done  in  XXX  on  XXX,  in  duplicate  each  in  the  Czech,  Danish,  Dutch,  English,  Estonian, 
Finnish,  French,  German,  Greek,  Hungarian,  Italian,  Latvian,  Lithuanian,  Maltese,  Polish, 
Portuguese, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish and Russian languages, each of these texts 
being equally authentic. 

For the European Community 

For the Russian Federation 

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PROTOCOL  TO  THE  AGREEMENT  ON  THE  MEMBER  STATES  THAT  DO  NOT 
FULLY APPLY THE SCHENGEN ACQUIS 

Those  Member  States  which  are  bound  by  the  Schengen  acquis  but  which  do  not  yet  issue 
Schengen  visas,  while  awaiting  the  relevant  decision  of  the  Council  to that  end,  shall  issue 
national visas the validity of which is limited to their own territory. 

The European Community will undertake as soon as possible measures to simplify the transit 
of  holders  of  Schengen  visa  or  Schengen  residence  permits  through  the  territory  of  the 
Member States that do not fully apply the Schengen acquis yet.  

JOINT  DECLARATION  ON  ARTICLE  6(2)  OF  THE  AGREEMENT  ON  FEES  FOR 
PROCESSING VISA APPLICATIONS 

The  Parties  shall  examine  the  implementation  of  Article  6(2)  of  this  Agreement  in  the 
framework of the Committee set up by the Agreement. 

JOINT  DECLARATION  ON  ARTICLE  11  OF  THE  AGREEMENT  ON  DIPLOMATIC 
PASSPORTS 

Each Party may invoke a partial suspension of the agreement and in particular of Article 11, 
in  accordance  with  the  procedure  set  up  by  Article  15  (5)  of  this  Agreement,  if  the 
implementation  of  Article  11  is  abused  by  the  other  Party  or  leads  to  a  threat  to  public 
security. 

If the implementation of Article 11 is suspended, both Parties shall initiate consultations in 
the framework of the Committee set up by the Agreement with a view to solve the problems 
that lead to the suspension. 

As  a  priority,  both  Parties  declare  their  commitment  to  ensure  a  high  level  of  document 
security  for  diplomatic  passports,  in  particular  by  integrating  biometric  identifiers.  For  the 
European  Union  side,  this  will  be  ensured  in  compliance  with  the  requirements  set  out  in 
Regulation (EC) 2252/2004. 

JOINT  DECLARATION  ON  ISSUANCE  OF  SHORT-STAY  VISAS  FOR  VISITS  TO 
MILITARY AND CIVIL BURIAL GROUNDS 

The Parties agree that, as a rule, short-stay visas for persons visiting military and civil burial 
grounds shall be issued for a period of up to 14 days. 

JOINT  DECLARATION  ON  THE  HARMONISATION  OF  INFORMATION  ON 
PROCEDURES  FOR  ISSUING  SHORT  STAY  VISA  AND  DOCUMENTS  TO  BE 
SUBMITTED WHEN APPLYING FOR SHORT STAY VISAS 

Recognising  the  importance  of  transparency  for  visa  applicants,  the  Parties  to  the  present 
Agreement consider that appropriate measures should be taken: 

In  general,  to  draw  up  basic  information  for  applicants  on  the  procedures  and 

- 
conditions for applying for visas, the visas and on the validity of visas issued.  

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Each Party, on its own, to draw up a list of minimum requirements in order to ensure 
- 
that applicants are given coherent and uniform basic information and are required to submit, 
in principle, the same supporting documents.  

The information mentioned above is to be disseminated widely (on the information board of 
consulates, in leaflets, on websites in the Internet etc.). 

JOINT DECLARATION CONCERNING KINGDOM OF DENMARK 

The Parties take note that the present Agreement does not apply to the procedures for issuing 
visas by the diplomatic missions and consular posts of the Kingdom of Denmark.  

In such circumstances, it is desirable that the authorities of the Kingdom of Denmark and of 
the  Russian  Federation  conclude,  without  delay,  a  bilateral  agreement  on  the  facilitation  of 
the  issuance  of  short-stay  visas  in  similar  terms  as  the  Agreement  between  the  European 
Community and the Russian Federation. 

JOINT DECLARATION CONCERNING THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN 
AND NORTHERN IRELAND AND IRELAND 

The Parties take note that the present Agreement does not apply to the territory of the United 
Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.  

In  such  circumstances,  it  is  desirable  that  the  authorities  of  the  United  Kingdom  of  Great 
Britain  and  Northern  Ireland,  Ireland  and  the  Russian  Federation,  conclude  bilateral 
agreements on the facilitation of the issuance of visas. 

JOINT  DECLARATION  CONCERNING  THE  REPUBLIC  OF  ICELAND  AND  THE 
KINGDOM OF NORWAY 

The  Parties  take  note  of  the  close  relationship  between  the  European  Community  and  the 
Republic of Iceland and the Kingdom of Norway, particularly by virtue of the Agreement of 
18  May  1999  concerning  the  association  of  these  countries  with  the  implementation, 
application and development of the Schengen acquis.  

In  such  circumstances,  it  is  desirable  that  the  authorities  of  the  Republic  of  Iceland,  the 
Kingdom  of  Norway  and  the  Russian  Federation  conclude,  without  delay,  bilateral 
agreements  on  the  facilitation  of  the  issuance  of  short-stay  visas  in  similar  terms  as  this 
Agreement. 

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