1. VISA POLICY AND VISA REGIME Sofia, 9 June 2015
REPUBLIC OF CROATIA
MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AND
EUROPEAN AFFAIRS
VISA POLICY AND VISA REGIME
Sofia, 9 June 2015

2. VISA REGIME
Full visa regime – as stipulated by Council Regulation (EC) No 539/2001 – introduced on 1 April 2013, 3 months prior to the accession of Croatia to the EU
Direct implementation of Council Regulation (EC) No 539/ Article 3 and Annex IV of Visa Code, since 1 July 2013
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3. VISA REGIME Last changes – introducing of the visa regime for:
Nationals of Turkey (1 April 2013)
Nationals of Russia (31 March 2013)
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4. VISA REGIME DECISION 565/2014/EC
Foreigners DO NOT require a visa for Croatia if they are holders of a:
Schengen residence permit
Uniform visa (type C), two or multiple entries
LTV visa (Visa Code, Art. 25, Para. 3, first sentence)
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5. VISA REGIME Long-term Visa D (issued by a Schengen Area Member State)
National visas for two or multiple entries and residence permits of Bulgaria, Cyprus and Romania
Applicable:
From 22 July 2014 until full implementation of the Schengen acquis
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6. REPRESENTATION AGREEMENTS & BIOMETRICS
VISA REGIME
REPRESENTATION AGREEMENTS & BIOMETRICS
Croatia has no experience with representation agreements
Except for Hungary in Moldova, but it has become obsolete due to the change of visa regime with Moldova

7. VISA REGIME At the moment Croatia does not collect biometric data
The national visa system (HVIS) is upgraded and supports this functionality

8. VISA TRAINING
Before being posted to an Embassy / Consulate all consular officials are required to go throug consular training
All consular officials are also required to pass the consular exam (written + oral) 8

9. VISA TRAINING
Several training sessions in common visa policy and recognizing counterfeit documents as part of IPA light Twinning project with Finland and Romania
A series of Schengen trainings as part of preparations for joining the Schengen Area (Schengen visa process and recognizing counterfeit documents) funded from the SFF (Schengen Facility Fund) – Slovenian and Austrian experts
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10. Croatia cooperates with VFS Global
OUTSOURCING
Croatia cooperates with VFS Global
in Russia (19 VACs) and Ukraine (4 VACs) since 2013
As of June/July 2015 additional 37 VACs in 26 countries (parts of Africa and Asia)
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11. VISA APPLICATION PROCESS
Completely aligned with Visa Code
Most visas issued in 4 – 5 days
Deciding on the visa application:
DM/CP may decide on the application or
DM/CP shall request prior consent of the MFEA (in cases stipulated in subordinate legislation)
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12. VISA APPLICATION PROCESS
Prior consent of the MFEA
Ministry of Interior – opinion
Security Inteligence Agency – opinion
MFEA – final consent
Appeals – decided on by the MFEA
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13. VISA APPLICATION PROCESS
Possibility of forwarding visa applications electronically to any Croatian DM/CP
Possibility of completing online visa application form
Division for Visas: officials
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14. KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCES EXCHANGE OF KNOWLEDGE AND
No barrier for cross-border cooperation in exchanging knowledge, experience and best practice
Existing mechanisms: twinning projects, TAIEX...
Also through bilateral cooperation
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15. Thank you for your attention
At the end…..
Thank you for your attention 15