2008/972/EC: Council Decision of 18 December 2008 amending Annex 13 to the Common Consular Instructions on filling in visa stickers
Date: 2008-12-18
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: EU visa policy, Schengen Agreement, admission of aliens, residence permit

L 345/88

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

23.12.2008

COUNCIL DECISION

of 18 December 2008

amending Annex 13 to the Common Consular Instructions on filling in visa stickers

(2008/972/EC)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 789/2001 of 24 April
2001 reserving to the Council
implementing powers with
regard to certain detailed provisions and practical procedures
applications (1),
particular
examining
for
Article 1(1) thereof,

visa

and

in

Having regard to the initiative of France,

Whereas:

Annex 13 to the Common Consular Instructions lays
down common rules on filling in visa stickers in the
form of examples corresponding to the different cate­
gories of uniform visa.

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,
the Schengen acquis,
application and development of
which fall within the area referred to in Article 1,
point B, of Council Decision 1999/437/EC of 17 May
1999 on certain arrangements for the application of that
Agreement (3).

(6)

As regards Switzerland, this Decision constitutes a devel­
opment of provisions of the Schengen acquis within the
the Agreement concluded between the
meaning of
European Union,
the European Community and the
Swiss Confederation concerning the association of the
Swiss Confederation with the implementation, appli­
the Schengen acquis (4),
cation and development of
which fall within the area referred to in Article 1,
point B, of Decision 1999/437/EC, read in conjunction
with Article 3 of Decision 2008/146/EC (5) and Article 3
of Decision 2008/149/JHA (6).

Example 9 in Annex 13 on the short-stay travel visa
states that said visa is valid for periods of over six
months, namely, 1, 2, 3, or 5 years (C1, C2, C3, C5).

(7)

the legal provisions of

Those distinctions (C1, C2, C3 and C5) no longer
the
correspond to any of
Common Consular
following Council
Instructions
Decision 2006/440/EC of 1 June 2006 (2) harmonising
the administrative costs for processing visa applications.
The example given in the Annex should therefore be
amended accordingly.

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 that Protocol, decide within a period
of six months after the Council has adopted this Decision
whether it will
implement the Decision in its national
law.

this Decision constitutes a
regards Liechtenstein,
As
the Schengen acquis
development of provisions of
within the meaning of the Protocol signed between the
European Union, the European Community, the Swiss
Confederation and the Principality of Liechtenstein on
the accession of the Principality of Liechtenstein to the
Agreement between the European Union, the European
Community and the Swiss Confederation on the Swiss
Confederation's association with the implementation,
application and development of the Schengen acquis (7),
which fall within the area referred to in Article 1, point
B, of Decision 1999/437/EC read in conjunction with
Article 3 of Decision 2008/261/EC (8) and Article 3 of
Decision 2008/262/EC (9).

(8)

take part,

This Decision constitutes a development of provisions of
the Schengen acquis in which the United Kingdom does
in accordance with Council Decision
not
2000/365/EC of 29 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 (10);
the United Kingdom is therefore
not taking part in its adoption and is not bound by it
or subject to its application.

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

As regards Iceland and Norway, this Decision constitutes
the Schengen acquis
a development of provisions of

(1) OJ L 116, 26.4.2001, p. 2.
(2) OJ L 175, 29.6.2006, p. 77.

(3) OJ L 176, 10.7.1999, p. 31.
(4) OJ L 53, 27.2.2008, p. 52.
(5) OJ L 53, 27.2.2008, p. 1.
(6) OJ L 53, 27.2.2008, p. 50.
(7) OJ L 83, 26.3.2008, p. 3.
(8) OJ L 83, 26.3.2008, p. 3.
(9) OJ L 83, 26.3.2008, p. 5.
(10) OJ L 131, 1.6.2000, p. 43.

23.12.2008

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 345/89

(9)

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 (1);
Ireland is therefore not taking part in its adoption and is
not bound by it or subject to its application.

(10) As

regards Cyprus,

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

(11)

an act building on the
This Decision constitutes
Schengen acquis or otherwise related to it within the
meaning of Article 4(2) of the 2005 Act of Accession,

‘— This is a multiple-entry short stay travel visa with a
In the example shown

validity of up to five years.
here the validity is three years.’.

Article 2

This Decision shall apply from the date of its publication in the
Official Journal of the European Union.

Article 3

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

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Done at Brussels, 18 December 2008.

Article 1

In Example 9 in Annex 13 to the Common Consular
Instructions, the first indent shall be replaced by the following:

For the Council
The President

M. BARNIER

(1) OJ L 64, 7.3.2002, p. 20.