Since June 11, 2017, the day of the visa-free regime came into force, Ukrainians have the right to visit 30 countries of Europe without visas, which are divided into three blocks:
- 22 countries of the European Union included in the Schengen Area: Austria, Belgium, Greece, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Finland France, Czech Republic and Sweden;
- 4 states within the EU that are members of the Schengen area, but have not yet withdrawn control on their internal borders: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Romania and Croatia;
- 4 states that are not part of the EU but are members of the Schengen Agreement: Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland, and Switzerland
However, having a biometric passport is not the only condition for entry. A tourist who crosses the EU border may receive rejection for entry if any of the five requirements of the Schengen Border Code are violated.
Possible causes of failure:
– absence of a valid passport, valid visa or residence permit;
– the tourist can not justify the purpose and conditions of his stay in the EU;
– lack of confirmation of sufficient financial means for staying in the EU, as well as for returning to the country of permanent residence or transit to a third country;
– the presence of “red flags” in the Schengen information system in relation to the traveler’s face, namely:
– if he is found guilty of committing a crime in the territory of the EU;
– if there is reason to believe that he has committed a serious criminal offense or intends to commit a crime in the territory of any EU member state;
– If he was previously deported from the EU and the ban on entry has not yet ended;
– a tourist is considered a person who may threaten public order, internal security or international relations of any of the EU member states.
