Visa-free access to EU Schengen area
23 Jun 2014 04:30 PM
From 9 June 2014, all
British Overseas Territories citizens (BOTCs), British Overseas citizens
(BOCs), British Protected Persons (BPPs), and British Subjects (BS) will be
allowed to travel visa free to the EU Schengen Area for a maximum of 90
days.
What is the Schengen
Area?
The Schengen Area currently
consists of 26 States, including four which are not members of the European
Union. The full list of countries in the Schengen Area is:
Austria, Belgium, Czech
Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland,
Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands,
Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland.
The visa concession will also
apply to Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia and Cyprus.
The United Kingdom and Ireland,
while both EU Member States, do not participate in the borders and visas
aspects of the Schengen Agreement and continue to operate border controls with
other EU Member States.
Even if I do not need a visa,
are there any other requirements?
On arrival, you may be asked to
confirm that you have sufficient funds available for the duration of your stay.
You may also be asked to show a return or onward ticket.
We also recommend that you check
the expiration date on your passport carefully before traveling to Europe.
Entry into the Schengen Area requires that your passport be valid for at least
three months beyond your intended date of departure. We recommend that your
passport has at least six months of validity whenever you travel abroad to
avoid unintended travel disruptions.
Is visa free access only for
those holding a full British passport, or will it also be for those holding a
BOTC, BOC, BPP or BS passport?
Citizens who hold either a full
British passport or a BOTC, BOC, BPP or BS passport will have visa free access
to the Schengen Area. However, it remains advisable to check the entry
requirements of the country of destination before confirming travel
plans.
Can I study and work in the
Schengen Area without a visa?
The visa concession covers
visits only. The maximum duration is 90 days in a period of 180 days. The visa
concession does not cover employment or study - where the appropriate visa must
be obtained prior to travelling.
Will the current BOTC, BOC, BPP
or BS passport allow visa free access, or only the proposed new
machine-readable one?
Both the current BOTC, BOC, BPP,
and BS passport and the proposed new machine-readable passport will allow visa
free access to the Schengen area.