€500 visa security required by Romania ‘not an EU policy’

“Requiring all (visa) applicants to have a set amount of €500 is not an EU policy”, said Dirk Lorenz, Political Officer of the EU Delegation to Moldova, in an interview with Info-Prim Neo. Asked to say whether the EU Visa Code, which took effect on April 5, could spare the Moldovans of the €500 security they are required to pay for a Romanian visa and whether that security was a requirement of Romania or the EU, Dirk Lorenz said that requiring all applicants to possess a fixed sum of €500 was not a policy of the European Union and that the sum should be assessed individually. “In accordance with EU rules, visa applicants must demonstrate that they have the necessary means of subsistence to cover the costs of their intended stay in the EU (and their subsequent return to Moldova). For the purpose of assessing the necessary means of subsistence, each Member State indicates a daily reference amount, which should reflect the cost of living in that Member State. These amounts are NOT set by the EU. The required means of subsistence should moreover be assessed on an individual basis (i.e. reflecting the duration, destination and purpose of the journey). Requiring all applicants to have a set amount of €500 is not an EU policy. Please note that for the time being Romania does not issue Schengen visa but visa allowing the holder to travel only to Romania”, Dirk Lorenz told Info-Prim Neo. At the beginning of February, the Romanian Senate voted down a bill proposing the annulment of the €500 security for the Moldovan citizens. The bill wasn’t endorsed by the Romanian Government either. Earlier, Romanian President Traian Basescu stated during his visit to Chisinau that the €500 bank account was an EU requirement which Romania was obliged to respect. At the same time, President Basescu said Bucharest would solicit Brussels for the cancellation of this requirement with regard to Moldovan citizens. The bank account could be replaced with a statement on one's own responsibility showing that the visa applicant has the necessary sum of money.