The member states of the European Union have agreed to start the visa liberalisation talks with Armenia.
The ambassadors of the member states approved the proposal of the EU Commission on the beginning of the visa liberalisation talks with Armenia on July 17, opening a new chapter for citizens of the latter, Schengen.News reports.
The next step is for the Council to give formal approval on the matter, and then the Commission will be able to start negotiations.
Since the visa liberalisation process is not the same for every country that wants to gain visa-free entry privileges to the bloc, the authorities are expected to share the requirements that Armenia needs to meet once the Council gives the final green light on the matter.
As soon as the requirements are made clear, Armenia will then start working on fulfilling them. However, according to Radio Free Europe, the process of visa liberalisation for Armenia is expected to take several years to complete.
It is believed that one of the main requirements that Armenia needs to fulfil before it gets granted visa-free entry is to ensure that there will be no risk of irregular migration of Armenians to the bloc, among other things.
What Will Change for Armenians After Visa Liberalisation?
As soon as the EU and Armenia reach a visa liberalisation agreement, Armenians will be able to travel to the Schengen Area for short stays without having to obtain a Schengen visa.
However, citizens of Armenia, just like citizens of other countries that enjoy visa-free entry to the EU, will still have to follow the 90/180-day rule.
In line with this rule, Armenians will be able to stay in the Schengen Area for up to 90 days within any 190-day period.
In the meantime, until the visa liberalisation agreement is reached, all Armenian passport holders will continue to be subject to the visa requirement.
Currently, all Armenians need to hold a valid visa in order to be permitted entry into the Schengen Area.
However, they enjoy some facilitated rules when it comes to the fee. Armenians are not subject to the same visa application fee as the other nationalities.
Under an agreement signed between Armenia and the EU in 2012, Armenian Schengen visa applicants are required to pay only a €35 Schengen visa fee.
Armenians applied for 80,356 Schengen visas in 2023. Of the total number of applicants, 69,376 were issued a visa, whereas 10,531 were rejected the document.