The Council of the European Union officially notified Moldova of the finalization of the internal EU procedures needed for the amendments to the visa facilitation agreement to take effect. They will come into force on July 1, IPN reports.
According to a communiqué from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, the amended agreement facilitates short-stay visas for visits of up to a total of 90 days, calculated over a period of 180 days.
The documents to be presented regarding the purpose of the journey have been simplified for a wider category of Moldovan applicants, such as journalists and their technical crew, close relatives of EU citizens and participants in official EU cross-border cooperation programmes. Some applicants will benefit from a full waiver of the visa fee, including young participants in seminars, conferences, sports, cultural or educational events.
The amended agreement also simplifies the criteria for multiple-entry visas for spouses, children and parents visiting Moldovan citizens legally residing in the EU. Moldovan citizens holding biometric service passports will be exempted from the visa requirement for short stays and will be allowed to enter, leave and transit through the territories of the EU member states without visas.
