2006/440/EC: Council Decision of  1 June 2006  amending Annex 12 to the Common Consular Instructions and Annex 14a to the Common Manual on the fees to be charged corresponding to the administrative costs of processing visa applications
Date: 2006-06-01
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: EU visa policy, administrative procedure, admission of aliens, price increase

29.6.2006

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 175/77

II

(Acts whose publication is not obligatory)

COUNCIL

COUNCIL DECISION

of 1 June 2006

amending Annex 12 to the Common Consular Instructions and Annex 14a to the Common Manual
on the fees to be charged corresponding to the administrative costs of processing visa applications

(2006/440/EC)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

sponding to the administrative costs of processing visa
applications at EUR 35.

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 789/2001 of 24
April 2001 reserving the Council
implementing 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 the Council
implementing 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 French Republic,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

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.

Council Decision 2003/454/EC of 13 June 2003
amending Annex 12 to the Common Consular
Instructions and Annex 14a to the Common Manual
on visa fees (4) fixed the amount to be charged corre-

(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 152, 20.6.2003, p. 82.

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

Recital 2 of Decision 2003/454/EC established that the
amount
regular
to be charged should be revised at
intervals.

The amount of EUR 35 no longer covers current visa
application processing costs. Moreover, the consequences
of the introduction of the European Visa Information
System (VIS) and the biometrics required to introduce
the VIS in the visa application examining process
should be taken into account.

The current amount of EUR 35 should be readjusted
accordingly in order to cover the additional costs of
processing the visa application corresponding to the
introduction of biometrics and the VIS.

Regulation (EC) No …/2006 of the European Parliament
and of the Council
laying down rules on local border
traffic at the external land borders of the Member States
Schengen
provisions
and
Convention (5) allows for the local border traffic permit
to be issued free of charge.

amending

the

the

of

of

the

2005/761/EC

European
Recommendation
Parliament and of the Council of 28 September 2005
to facilitate the issue by the Member States of uniform
short-stay visas
from third countries
researchers
travelling within the Community for the purpose of
carrying out scientific research (6) encourages the issue
of visas without administrative fees for researchers.

for

(5) Not yet published in the Official Journal.
(6) OJ L 289, 3.11.2005, p. 23.

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Official Journal of the European Union

29.6.2006

(8) Waiving or reducing the fees to be charged for nationals
of certain third countries in addition to the exceptions
this Decision may be the
mentioned in Article 2 of
subject
European
the
between
Community and the third countries concerned consistent
with the Community's overall approach to visa facili-
tation agreements.

agreements

of

(9)

(10)

Member States should make maximum use of the possi-
bilities offered by the Schengen acquis for the purpose of
developing people-to-people contact with the neigh-
bouring countries consistent with overall EU policy
objectives.

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.

(11) 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 (1),
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
that
Agreement (2).

application of

the

for

(12) As regards Switzerland, this Decision constitutes a devel-
opment of the provisions of the Schengen acquis within
the Agreement
the meaning of
signed between the
the European Community and the
European Union,
Swiss Confederation, concerning the association of the
Swiss Confederation with the implementation, appli-
cation and development of the Schengen acquis, which
fall within the area referred to in Article 1, point A of
Decision 1999/437/EC in connection with Article 4(1) of
the Council Decisions of 25 October 2004 on the
signing on behalf of
the European Union, and on
behalf of the European Community, and on the provi-
sional
that
Agreement.

application

provisions

certain

of

of

of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern
Ireland to take part in some of the provisions of the
Schengen acquis (3);
the United Kingdom is therefore
not taking part in its adoption and is not bound by it
or subject to its application.

(14)

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
the Schengen acquis (4);
in some of the provisions of
Ireland is therefore not taking part in its adoption and
is not bound by it or subject to its application.

(15)

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 shall be
replaced by the following table:

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

Type of visa

Fees to be charged (in EUR)

Airport transit visa (Category A)

60

Transit visa (Category B)

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

60

60

limited

Visa with
validity
(Categories B and C)

territorial

60

Visa issued at the border
(Categories B and C)

Group visa
(Categories A, B and C)

National long-stay visa
(Category D)

60

This visa may be issued free of
charge.

60 + 1 per person

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

(13)

This Decision constitutes a development of provisions of
the Schengen acquis in which the United Kingdom does
not
in accordance with Council Decision
2000/365/EC of 29 May 2000 concerning the request

take part,

long-stay

National
visa
concurrently as a short
visa (Categories D and C)

valid
stay

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

(1) OJ L 176, 10.7.1999, p. 36.
(2) OJ L 176, 10.7.1999, p. 31.

(3) OJ L 131, 1.6.2000, p. 43.
(4) OJ L 64, 7.3.2002, p. 20.

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Article 2

In Annex 12 to the Common Consular Instructions and in
Annex 14a to the Common Manual, point II of the ‘Rules’
shall be replaced by the following:

‘II.1.

In individual cases, the amount of the fee to be charged
may be waived or reduced in accordance with national
law when this measure serves to promote cultural
foreign
interests as well as interests in the field of
policy, development policy, other areas of vital public
interest or for humanitarian reasons.

concluded

European
the
agreement
Community and that
third country consistent with
the Community's overall approach to visa facilitation
agreements.

between

II.4. Until 1 January 2008, this Decision shall not affect the
fee to be charged to nationals of third countries in
respect of which the Council will have given the
Commission, by 1 January 2007, a mandate to
negotiate a visa facilitation agreement.

___________
(*) OJ L 289, 3.11.2005, p. 23.’

II.2. The fee to be charged is waived for visa applicants

belonging to one of the following categories:

Article 3

— children under six years,

This Decision shall apply as from 1 January 2007.

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

Member States may apply this Decision before 1 January 2007
but not earlier than 1 October 2006, provided that they notify
the General Secretariat of the Council of the date from which
they are in a position to do so.

— researchers from third countries travelling within
the Community for the purpose of carrying out
scientific research as defined in the Recommen-
dation 2005/761/EC of the European Parliament
the Council of 28 September 2005 to
and of
facilitate
issue by the Member States of
uniform short-stay visas for researchers from third
countries travelling within the Community for the
purpose of carrying out scientific research (*).

the

II.3. A fee reduction or waiver for nationals of a third
country may also be the result of a visa facilitation

Article 4

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

Done at Luxembourg, 1 June 2006.

For the Council
The President

L. PROKOP

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STATEMENT BY THE COUNCIL AND THE COMMISSION

The Council and Commission note that visa facilitation, that is simplification of visa issuing procedures for
nationals of third countries who are under visa obligation, can provide further opportunities for promoting
contacts between the EU and neighbouring countries, including by way of waiving or reducing the fees for
certain categories of nationals of third countries.

The Council and Commission also note that the common approach on visa facilitation provides the
possibility to open, on a case by case assessment, visa facilitation negotiations with third countries, while
bearing in mind the European Union's overall relationship with candidate countries, countries with a
European perspective and countries covered by the European neighbourhood policy as well as with
strategic partners.

The Council and Commission confirm their support for the development of visa facilitation agreements with
third countries in accordance with the process and considerations laid down in the common approach on
visa facilitation, emphasising the need to negotiate parallel agreements on readmission, with a view to the
simultaneous entry into force of such agreements.

The Council and Commission recall that,
in the context of promoting people-to-people contacts with
neighbouring countries in a manner consistent with overall EU policy objectives, Member States should
make use of the possibilities offered by the Schengen acquis,
in particular where such people-to-people
contacts can contribute to the strengthening of civil society and democratisation in those countries. The
Council and Commission also request that the impact of the new measures for this purpose be kept under
review.

STATEMENT BY THE COUNCIL

On the basis of the process and considerations laid down in the common approach on visa facilitation
based on a case-by-case assessment of the countries concerned, and having regard to Rule II.3 of this
Decision, the Council invites the Commission to bring forward recommendations for mandates for initiating
negotiations on visa facilitation and readmission agreements, starting with the countries with a European
perspective as referred to in the European Council Conclusions of June 2003 and June 2005.