How long do I have a right to stay in ЕU
From October, 18 2013 citizens of Ukraine, that have corresponding documents can visit countries of ЕU on the terms 90/180, so traveller has a right to be in the Schengen zone no more than 90 days during any 180-daily period.
If before a journey on the terms “visa-free” you lived in ЕU with a residential permit or national visa (for example, worked or studied in ЕU), the term of stay “in Schengen” with a national visa is not taken into account during the calculation of duration of stay on territory of the Schengen zone. So after the year of educating in ЕU you go to Ukraine and already the next day you can visit again the Europe as a tourist.
The terms of receipt of the short-term Schengen visas are analogical for all countries, but visas for the prolonged stay every country gives out on their own rules. Some countries set hard enough quotas and rules of employment. Countries (as, for example, Poland or Czech Republic) – vice versa, encourage the Ukrainian citizens to legal work. Some countries of ЕU (in particular, Poland, Lithuania and Romania) do not take a consulage collect for registration of national visa.
Remember! Whith the Polish visa you have a right to settle down on work only in Poland, and does not have a right for employment in nearby Germany or Slovakia, besides legally working is let only to you personally!
And also two details are important, if your aim to travel at Europe in a weekend in parallel with studies or work in ЕU, it isn’t a problem – a national visa gives such opportunity. And after completion of term of her action you can remain in ЕU on 90 days or again visit it, already as a tourist.
How to count up the days of stay in ЕС
For the correct calculation of rule 90/180 there is an official calculator that can use every tourist or authorities of countries-members of the Schengen zone.
Rule of 90/180 does not change, even if the question is about new biometric passport.
In the Schengen informative system data are kept from an old document. Therefore we recommend to observe honestly the rules, because exactly frontier service makes decision about duration of the sanctioned stay or about his violation.
It is important to remember that:
the first day of visit is a day of entrance, even if you rode into in 23: 59
a closing date of visit is a day of departure, even if you drive out in 00: 01
while checking for an entrance a border guard can check your return ticket. If duration of the pre-arranged stay taking into account a reverse departure date exceeds settled 90 days for the last 180 days, probably it will be deniyed in entrance.
What it is possible, and what it is not during a visa-free journey to ЕU
The official name “Visa-free” on terminology of ЕU is “abolition of visa requirements for short-term journeys”. So, visas are abolished for those, who plans to visit European Union without the aim of long-term stay or employment. For this reason on an entrance you can be asked to show a return ticket or other documents, that will confirm that you really plan to go to Ukraine.
It is important to remember! In some countries is forbidden to drink beer outside: for it you can get a fine. Other example – passage in a public transport without a ticket threatens to you get a fine in a hundred euro and with a prospect to appear in a police, if you don’t have a money with you.
If you appeared in a role of violator, it is not needed to delay , it is better to pay a fine as fast as possible, violator who ignored the obligations, can appear in a list of those, whose entrance in ЕU is forbidden.
What can be done during a visa-free journey to ЕС? All, that it is not forbidden by a law! Main idea “without a visa” is the facilitation of trip with a business or tourist aim, including short journeys to the friends and relatives
In what countries of Еuropian Union I can go without a visa
From the day of start of the visa-free mode Ukrainians got a right to ride without visas in 30 countries of Europe. They are divided into three blocks:
- 22 countries of the European union, included to the Schengen zone: Austria, Belgium, Germany, Greece, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Finland, France, Czech Republic Sweden and Estonia;
- 4 countries in composition of ЕU, included to the Schengen zone, but did not yet take off control on the borders: Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Romania;
- 4 countries, that is not included in ЕU, but are the participants of the Schengen agreement: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
Visa requirements for travellers from Ukraine will take off countries and territories that now require the presence of the Schengen visa from the Ukrainian citizens, or those in which is possible to get only transit through states-members of the Schengen agreement – Monaco and Vatican. The countries included in ЕU – the Great Britain and Ireland – conduct own migratory politics, therefore for visit those countries to the citizens of Ukraine it is still needed to have visas. A necessity to issue visas also spreads to not European territories of France and Netherlands.
How to prepare to the journey to ЕU with children
The biometric passport is a basic document which is necessary for the children for departure in ЕU by the visa-free mode, but in the rules of their registration for children there are a few important distinctions.
Passport of citizen of Ukraine for departure abroad to the children from birth and to 16 is recordeing for a term of four years. After 16 years passports are given out with the complete term of action – on ten years. it is not needed to change an actual passport after an achievement of 16. A passport operates before the completion of the term indicated in a document. Remember that a passport must remain operating minimum three months after the pre-arranged date of return to Ukraine; otherwise you will be deniyed in an entrance. (Frontier code of ЕU, art.6)
For registration of passport for a child under 16 years one of parents or trustees (a presence of both parents is not a necessity) must come; after 16 a passport can be issued independently. Children under 12 don’t hand over the fingerpreents; nevertheless such passport saves status of biometric and accords a permission on visa-free departure in ЕU. From 12 years this procedure is obligatory. The signature of child at registration of passport is required from 14.
If it is indicated in a birth certificate, that one of parents is a foreigner, then at the serve of documents a certificate of registration of Ukrainian citizenship of child is needed.
What documents can be asked to show during crossing of border with ЕU
Crossing of border with the European countries is regulated by the Schengen frontier code. Frontier verification is rule-based, prescribed in this document, and taken to the primary objective – to make sure, that a traveller does not plan to violate the European migratory rules.
Frontier service has a right to check implementation of five requirements that does not depend on the presence of visa, they operate similarly for persons, crossing a border within the scope of both visa and visa-free regime.
The terms of entrance in ЕU :
- presence of document for crossing the border (for example, international passport)
- convincing ground of aim and terms of stay in the countries of Europe;
- presence of sufficient finances for a stay in ЕU and for a home-coming. Reference daily charges listed on a web-site of European Commission and differs depending on a country;
- absence in the list of persons for whom the entrance in EU is forbidden;
- absence from the side of traveller threats for a public peace, safety, public health and international relations.
For checking of aim of journey on border you can be asked such confirmative documents:
For business trips:
- invitation on meeting
- other document that confirmates the trade or business relations
- ticket on an exhibition or event, if the aim of journey is to visit them.
For tourism or private trips:
- booking of residence or informal invitation if you are planning to stay at friends
- return ticket (if you travel by car, this is not an obligatory requirement)
- route or plan of your journey, if you travel by car
For trips with the purpose of educating:
- certificate about registration / admission to educational institution/ of courses / of school
- student certification or certificate of attending the courses
For trips with the purpose of participating in political, scientific, cultural, sport or religious events, or for other aims:
- invitation, entrance tickets, information about registration or programs, which have to contain the name of organization and term of stay
- any other acceptable documents, confirmative the aim of visit,
As proof of financial solvency to providing of journey a traveller can give such methods of confirmation (on the choice) :
- cash
- travel cheks
- the prepaid residence and tickets
- financial guarantees of the inviting side
- credit cards of the international payment systems
It is important! Extracts from banks about the state of account, references from job and other similar documents are not plugged in a list and is not obligatory to be showen.
Be ready to that on a border you can be asked to confirm the presence of money on a bank account – through the ATMS in the zone of border control, internet banking or phone call in a bank.
The best of all, is to take with you a check from ATM or other confirmative document, but it is not obligatory; a border guard has no authority to refuse you in an entrance only on that founding, that you don’t have a receipt with signet of bank. Choice of document, that confirmates the presence of money, remains after you.
It is important! Invitation from friends or relatives, printed from an e-mail, can be used by travellers. Take care, that a side that invites you marked the address, operating telephone for connection, aim of visit in language of country, which you cross or in English.
Also can be checked the presence of operating medical insurance of international standard. Her presence will not become founding for a refuse in an entrance, but it is better to have it.
While making the route of autotrip in ЕU, check the work-load of points of crossing of borders by electronic service of Government frontier service of Ukraine.
Custom rules that it is necessary to know
Before a journey we recommend you to know the custom rules of the state, the border of which you plan to cross.
There are base custom requirements that is practically single for all countries of ЕU. If a traveller rides into the ЕU from the country not included in the zone of single market (including from Ukraine) and does not transport a commercial cargo, then he can bring in without a duty, VAT and excise duties commodities in next limits:
up to 430 euro totally on a man, that travels on an air or marine transport
up to 300 euro totally on a man that travels other types of transport
Some states-members of ЕU diminish these sums to 150 euros for tourists younger 15 year.
Cost of the luggage – suitcases, bags – and the medical commodities brought in only for the personal use, not taken into account. Separate personal things which costs more than 175 euro can not be divided between a few travellers.
As the personal things considers:
new, not beeing in use, commodities only for the personal use of traveller or by his family
gifts, if a kind and amount of these commodities do not specify on an import in commercial aims
To limitations clothing, cosmetic and other things of tourists that were in use, does not belong to limitations of the personal luggage, to confirm the cost of these things and proving it is not needed.
Hard rules operates for the import of exsize duty goods – alcohol, tobacco and fuel. Each country-member of ЕU has it’s own separate restrictive level for such commodities, however they can’t exceed a volume which is maximally accepted:
- 1 litre of alcoholic beverages (if mass stake of ethyl alcohol more than 22%)
- 2 litres of alcoholic beverages (if mass stake of ethyl alcohol less than 22%)
- 4 litres of wine
- 16 litres of beer
- 40 cigarettes or 20 cigarells, or 10 cigars, or 50 grammes of tobacco (if you arrive by car, by train or go across a border on foot)
- 200 cigarettes or 100 cigarells, or 50 cigars, or 250 grammes of tobacco (if you arrive by an airplane or ship)
- fuel for a transport vehicle within the limits of one complete tank of such transport vehicle plus up to 10 litres of fuel in portable container
For travellers under 17 years import and use of this commodities are forbidden.
All commodities that exceeds the described limitations, is needed to be declared. They are subject to the inpayment of customs duties, VAT and excise duties depending on the type of commodity. It is also necessary to declare the sum of cashes if she exceeds 10 000 euros on a man.
All this concerns the rules that operates in EU; do not forget also about the Ukrainian custom norms. For example, for the export of cash to the amount of a more than 10 000 euro on a man it is needed to declare these facilities and have with you a bank certificate that they were recently drawn from an account.
Rules of crossing of border with ЕU by car
For a trip in ЕU on the auto you need to have:
- national driving certification
- identification mark “UA” on a transport vehicle
- contract of obligatory insurance of public liability of proprietors of transport vehicles on the terms of the international system of motor-car insurance the “Green card”
- certificate of registration of transport vehicle, given out on a person that crosses a border
- state number of transport vehicle
Drivers should remember! Driving out abroad is necessary with state registration numbers.
In case of absence of right of ownership on a transport vehicle – it is necessary to prepare an application from the proprietor of transport vehicle or document, that confirmates a right for the use and disposing of transport vehicle.
It is important! The issued temporary certificate about registration is subject to return to the corresponding service center of MIA not later than during 10 days after a return from abroad.
Transport vehicles, on which,accordig to the law, established a temporary prohibition on removal from the register (except the transport vehicles purchased by instalments), are not allowed to go abroad.
