16.12.2002 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 313/1 I (Information) COUNCIL COMMON CONSULAR INSTRUCTIONS ON VISAS FOR THE DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS AND CONSULAR POSTS (2002/C 313/01) INTRODUCTORY NOTE The Common Consular Instructions, as adopted by the Executive Committee established by the Convention applying the Schengen Agreement of 14 June 1985 (listed under reference SCH/Com-ex (99) 13 in Annex A to Council Decision 1999/435/EC (OJ L 176, 10.7.1999, p. 1) and published in (OJ L 239, 22.9.2000, p. 317), have since been amended on several occasions pursuant to the provisions of Council Regulation (EC) No 789/2001 of 24 April 2001 (OJ L 116, 26.4.2001, p. 5). The text of the Common Consular Instructions as published here includes all such amendments to date. C 313/2 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 16.12.2002 CONTENTS Page I. General provisions .............................................................. 6 1. Scope ...................................................................... 6 2. Definition and types of visa ...................................................... 6 2.1. Uniform visas ........................................................... 6 2.1.1. Airport transit visas ................................................. 6 2.1.2. Transit visas ...................................................... 6 2.1.3. Short-term or travel visas. Multiple entry visas ............................. 6 2.1.4. Group visas ....................................................... 7 2.2. Long-term visas .......................................................... 7 2.3. Visas with limited territorial validity ........................................... 7 2.4. Visas issued at the border .................................................. 7 II. Diplomatic mission or consular post responsible ...................................... 7 1. Determining the State responsible ................................................. 7 1.1. State responsible for deciding on an application .................................. 7 1.2. State representing the State responsible . ...................................... 8 2. Visa applications requiring consultation with the national central authority or the authority of one or more other Contracting Parties, in accordance with Article 17(2) ........................... 9 2.1. Consultation with the national central authority .................................. 9 2.2. Consultation with the central authority of one or more Contracting Parties .............. 9 2.3. Consultation procedure in the framework of representation .......................... 9 3. Visa applications lodged by non-residents ............................................ 9 4. Authorisation to issue uniform visas ............................................... 9 III. Initiation of the application procedure ............................................... 10 1. Visa application forms. Number of application forms ................................... 10 2. Documents to be enclosed ....................................................... 10 3. Guarantees of means of return and means of subsistence ................................ 10 4. Personal interviews with applicants ................................................ 10 IV. Legal basis .................................................................... 10 V. Examination of applications and decisions taken ....................................... 11 Basic criteria for examining applications .................................................. 11 1. Examination of visa applications .................................................. 11 1.1. Verification of the visa application ............................................ 11 1.2. Verification of the applicant's identity .......................................... 11 1.3. Verification of the travel document ............................................ 11 1.4. Verification of other documents depending on the application ....................... 12 supporting documents regarding the purpose of the journey ...................... 12 supporting documents regarding means of transport and return .................... 12 16.12.2002 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 313/3 Page supporting documents regarding means of subsistence ........................... 12 supporting documents regarding accommodation ............................... 12 other documents where necessary .......................................... 13 1.5. Assessment of the applicant's good faith . ...................................... 13 2. Decision-making procedure for visa applications ....................................... 13 2.1. Choice of type of visa and number of entries .................................... 13 2.2. The administrative responsibility of the intervening authority ........................ 13 2.3. Procedure to be followed in cases requiring prior consultation with the central authorities of the other Contracting Parties ................................................ 13 (a) procedure ........................................................... 14 (b) sending applications to the national central authority ........................... 14 (c) information sent to the central authority ..................................... 14 (d) sending applications between central authorities ............................... 15 (e) reply time: Extension ................................................... 15 (f) decision based on the outcome of the consultation ............................. 15 (g) transmission of specific documents . ...................................... 15 2.4. Refusal to examine an application, to issue a visa ................................. 15 3. Visas with limited territorial validity ................................................ 16 VI. How to fill in visa-stickers ........................................................ 16 1. Common entries section (Section 8) ................................................ 16 1.1. VALID FOR heading ..................................................... 16 1.2. FROM TO heading .................................................... 17 1.3. NUMBER OF ENTRIES heading .............................................. 17 1.4. DURATION OF VISIT ... DAYS heading . ...................................... 17 1.5. ISSUED IN ... ON ... heading ............................................... 18 1.6. PASSPORT NUMBER heading ............................................... 18 1.7. TYPE OF VISA heading ................................................... 18 1.8. NAME AND FORENAME heading ............................................ 18 2. National entries section (COMMENTS) (Section 9) ...................................... 18 3. Section for the photograph ...................................................... 19 4. Section to be electronically scanned (Section 5) . ....................................... 19 5. Other aspects relating to the issue of visas ........................................... 19 5.1. Signing visas ............................................................ 19 5.2. Invalidating completed visa stickers ........................................... 19 5.3. Affixing visa stickers to passports ............................................. 19 5.4. Passports and travel documents to which uniform visas may be affixed ................. 19 5.5. Stamp of the issuing diplomatic mission or consular post ........................... 20 C 313/4 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 16.12.2002 Page VII. Administrative management and organisation ......................................... 20 1. Organisation of visa departments .................................................. 20 2. Filing ...................................................................... 20 3. Visa registers ................................................................. 20 4. Fees to be charged for the issue of visas ............................................. 20 VIII. Consular cooperation at a local level ................................................ 21 1. Outline of consular cooperation at a local level ....................................... 21 2. How to avoid multiple applications or applications which are lodged after a recent refusal to issue . 21 3. Assessment of the applicant's good faith ............................................. 21 4. Exchange of statistics ........................................................... 21 5. Visa applications processed by private administrative agencies, travel agencies and package tour operators ................................................................... 22 5.1. Types of intermediary ..................................................... 22 5.2. Harmonisation of cooperation with private administrative agencies, travel agencies, tour operators and their retailers ................................................. 22 16.12.2002 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 313/5 ANNEXES TO THE COMMON CONSULAR INSTRUCTIONS ON VISAS Page 1. Joint list of non-member countries whose citizens are required to have a visa by Member States bound by Regulation (EC) No 539/2001 ............................................ 24 Joint list of non-member countries whose citizens are exempt from the visa requirement by Member States bound by Regulation (EC) No 539/2001 ....................................... 24 2. Regulations governing the movement of holders of diplomatic, official duty and service passports and holders of laissez-passers which certain International Intergovernmental Organisations