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VISA POLICVISA POLICYY AND VISA REGIME AND VISA REGIME
SofiaSofia, , 99 JuneJune 201 20155
REPUBLIC OF CROATIAMINISTRY OF FOREIGN AND EUROPEAN AFFAIRS
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VISA REGIME
Full visa regime – as stipulated by Council Regulation (EC) No 539/2001 – introduced on 1 April 2013, 3 months prior to the accession of Croatia to the EU
Direct implementation of Council Regulation (EC) No 539/2001 + Article 3 and Annex IV of Visa Code, since 1 July 2013
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VISA REGIME
Last changes – introducing of the visa regime for:
Nationals of Turkey (1 April 2013)
Nationals of Russia (31 March 2013)
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VISA REGIME
DECISION 565/2014/EC
Foreigners DO NOT require a visa for Croatia if they are holders of a:
Schengen residence permit
Uniform visa (type C), two or multiple entries
LTV visa (Visa Code, Art. 25, Para. 3, first sentence)
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VISA REGIME
Long-term Visa D (issued by a Schengen Area Member State)
National visas for two or multiple entries and residence permits of Bulgaria, Cyprus and Romania
Applicable:
From 22 July 2014 until full implementation of the Schengen acquis
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VISA REGIME
REPRESENTATION AGREEMENTS & BIOMETRICS
Croatia has no experience with representation agreements
Except for Hungary in Moldova, but it has become obsolete due to the change of visa regime with Moldova
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At the moment Croatia does not collect biometric data
The national visa system (HVIS) is upgraded and supports this functionality
VISA REGIME
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Before being posted to an Embassy / Consulate all consular officials are required to go throug consular training
All consular officials are also required to pass the consular exam (written + oral)
VISA TRAINING
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VISA TRAINING
Several training sessions in common visa policy and recognizing counterfeit documents as part of IPA light Twinning project with Finland and Romania
A series of Schengen trainings as part of preparations for joining the Schengen Area (Schengen visa process and recognizing counterfeit documents) funded from the SFF (Schengen Facility Fund) – Slovenian and Austrian experts
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OUTSOURCING
Croatia cooperates with VFS Global
in Russia (19 VACs) and Ukraine (4 VACs) since 2013
As of June/July 2015 additional 37 VACs in 26 countries (parts of Africa and Asia)
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VISA APPLICATION PROCESS
Visa application process
Completely aligned with Visa Code
Most visas issued in 4 – 5 days
Deciding on the visa application:
DM/CP may decide on the application or
DM/CP shall request prior consent of the MFEA (in cases stipulated in subordinate legislation)
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VISA APPLICATION PROCESS
Prior consent of the MFEA
Ministry of Interior – opinion
Security Inteligence Agency – opinion
MFEA – final consent
Appeals – decided on by the MFEA
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VISA APPLICATION PROCESS
Possibility of forwarding visa applications electronically to any Croatian DM/CP
Possibility of completing online visa application form
Division for Visas: 1 + 6 officials
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KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCES
EXCHANGE OF KNOWLEDGE AND
EXPERIENCES
No barrier for cross-border cooperation in exchanging knowledge, experience and best practice
Existing mechanisms: twinning projects, TAIEX...
Also through bilateral cooperation
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At the end…..
Thank you for your attention