The EU Council has officially approved updated rules that expand the mechanism for temporarily suspending visa-free travel for third countries. The new regulation will enter into force 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the EU.
๐ What has changed
- The list of grounds on which the EU can temporarily suspend visa-free travel has been expanded
- The initial period of a possible suspension has been increased to 12 months
- The mechanism has been extended to 36 months
- The EU will be able to apply restrictions selectively, for example, only to certain categories of citizens (civil servants, diplomats, etc.), rather than to the entire country at once
๐ Grounds for suspension
The EU can trigger the mechanism in the event of:
- threats to security or public order;
- increased migration risks;
- non-compliance by the counterparty country with EU visa policy;
- abuse of the visa-free travel by its citizens;
- “Citizenship by investment” schemes that pose security risks.
๐ What could this mean for Ukrainian citizens?
โ๏ธImportant: There are currently no grounds for suspending visa-free travel for Ukraine; the EU has not announced this.
However, with the updated rules, the following scenarios are theoretically possible:
โ๏ธ 1. Targeted restrictions for certain categories
The EU may now apply the suspension not to all citizens of the country, but to specific groups.
For example:
- civil servants,
- diplomats,
- persons with certain types of documents.
This does not affect ordinary citizens or sailors.
โ๏ธ 2. Increased sensitivity to migration risks
If any third country allows widespread abuse of the visa-free regime, the EU can activate the mechanism more quickly.
Ukraine is not currently one of these countries, but this criterion should be considered a common European standard.
โ๏ธ 3. Requirement to synchronize visa policies
If Ukraine’s visa policy significantly differs from the European one (for example, regarding the admission of citizens of risky countries), the EU may require adjustments. Ukraine is already moving toward aligning its rules with EU standards.
โ๏ธ 4. Strengthening border controls
After the new rules come into force, EU member states may more frequently analyze entry and violation statistics, which may increase random checks of Ukrainians upon entry.
โ๏ธ Most importantly, the visa-free regime for Ukraine remains in effect.
The EU has not considered or discussed suspending the visa-free regime for Ukraine. The updated rules are a common tool, the same for all third countries, and not a move against Ukraine.
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