Passports issued by the European Union candidate states

European Union candidate states
EU candidate states shown in cyan.
EU candidate states shown in cyan.
Candidate states
The front cover of a contemporary Albanian  biometric passport.

Since the 1980s, European Economic Area member states have started to harmonise the following aspects of the designs of their ordinary passports which have been reflected on the designs and features of the candidate countries' passports:

Characteristics

Overall format

Cover

Information on the cover, in this order, in the language(s) of the issuing state:

First page

Information on the first page, in one or more of the languages:

Identification page

Information on the (possibly laminated) identification page, in the languages of the issuing state plus English and French:

1. Surname 2. Forename(s)
3. Nationality 4. Date of birth
5. Sex 6. Place of birth
7. Date of issue     8. Date of expiry
9. Authority 10. Signature of holder

Following page

Optional information on the following page:

11. Residence 12. Height
13. Colour of eyes     14. Extension of the passport
15. Name at birth (if now using married name or have legally changed names)

Remaining pages

Overview of passports issued by the EU candidate states

Candidate state Passport cover Visa free Cost Validity Issuing authority Latest version
Albania Albania

  • 5 or 10 years
Ministry of the Interior 2015
Iceland Iceland

  • 10 years
Ministry of the Interior 2009
Republic of Macedonia Macedonia

  • 1800 MKD older than 27
  • 1700 MKD ages 4 – 27
  • 1600 MKD ages 0 – 4
  • 5 or 10 years (aged 27 and older)
Ministry of the Interior[1] 2009
Montenegro Montenegro

  • €40
  • 10 years
Ministry of the Interior[2] 2008
Serbia Serbia

  • 10 years
Ministry of the Interior[3] 7 July 2008
Turkey Turkey

  • 164.55 (~ $83) for 6 months
  • 207.20 (~ $104) for 1 year
  • 292.65 (~ $147) for 2 years
  • 385.25 (~ $193) for 3 years
  • 513.40 (~ $258) for 4–10 years
  • 6 months
  • 1–10 years
Ministry of Justice 1 June 2010

Visa requirements for the nationals of EU candidate states for travel to the EEA, United States and Canada

While nationals of Iceland have full freedom of movement and residence within the territory of the EEA (which derives from EEA and EU law), nationals of other candidate countries have varying visa arrangements with the Schengen Area and the Common Travel Area members, as well as with the United States and Canada. The following table details the requirements:

State Current candidate
status
Schengen Area
Annex II[4]
Common Travel Area[5]
UK and Ireland
USA – ESTA[6] Canada
 Albania[7] Candidate 90 days
per 1/2-year[4]
PRE-ARRIVAL
VISA REQUIRED
PRE-ARRIVAL
VISA REQUIRED
PRE-ARRIVAL
VISA REQUIRED
 Iceland[8] Candidate Visa not required;[9] Freedom of movement Visa not required;[10] Freedom of movement Visa not required Visa Waiver Program[11]; 90 days on arrival from overseas for 2 years, ESTA required Visa not required[12]; 6 months
 Macedonia[13] Candidate 90 days
per 1/2-year[4]
PRE-ARRIVAL
VISA REQUIRED
PRE-ARRIVAL
VISA REQUIRED
PRE-ARRIVAL
VISA REQUIRED
 Montenegro[14] Negotiating 90 days
per 1/2-year[4]
PRE-ARRIVAL
VISA REQUIRED
PRE-ARRIVAL
VISA REQUIRED
PRE-ARRIVAL
VISA REQUIRED
 Serbia[15] Negotiating 90 days
per 1/2-year[4]
PRE-ARRIVAL
VISA REQUIRED
PRE-ARRIVAL
VISA REQUIRED
PRE-ARRIVAL
VISA REQUIRED
 Turkey[16] Negotiating PRE-ARRIVAL
VISA REQUIRED
PRE-ARRIVAL
VISA REQUIRED
road map
country
PRE-ARRIVAL
VISA REQUIRED

Current EU enlargement agenda

  Member states
  Application submitted: Albania
  Recognised by the EU as potential candidates which have not yet applied for membership: Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo (status disputed).[18]

The enlargement of the European Union involves the accession of new member states. This process began with the Inner Six, who founded the European Coal and Steel Community (the EU's predecessor) in 1952. Since then, the EU's membership has grown to twenty-eight with the most recent expansion to Croatia in 2013.

Currently, accession negotiations are under way with several states. The process of enlargement is sometimes referred to as European integration. This term is also used to refer to the intensification of co-operation between EU member states as national governments allow for the gradual harmonisation of national laws.

To join the European Union, a state needs to fulfil economic and political conditions called the Copenhagen criteria (after the Copenhagen summit in June 1993), which require a stable democratic government that respects the rule of law, and its corresponding freedoms and institutions. According to the Maastricht Treaty, each current member state and the European Parliament must agree to any enlargement.

The present enlargement agenda of the European Union regards Turkey, the Western Balkans and Iceland. Turkey has a long-standing application with the EU but the negotiations are expected to take many more years. As for the Western Balkan states, the EU had pledged to include them after their civil wars: in fact, two states have entered, three are candidates, one applied and the others have pre-accession agreements. Finally, Iceland has recently frozen its negotiations with the EU.

There are however other states in Europe which either seek membership or could potentially apply if their present foreign policy changes, or the EU gives a signal that they might now be included on the enlargement agenda. However, these are not formally part of the current agenda, which is already delayed due to bilateral disputes in the Balkans and difficulty in fully implementing the acquis communautaire (the accepted body of EU law).

Today the accession process follows a series of formal steps, from a pre-accession agreement to the ratification of the final accession treaty. These steps are primarily presided over by the European Commission (Enlargement Commissioner and DG Enlargement), but the actual negotiations are technically conducted between the Union's Member States and the candidate country.

Before a country applies for membership it typically signs an association agreement to help prepare the country for candidacy and eventual membership. Most countries do not meet the criteria to even begin negotiations before they apply, so they need many years to prepare for the process. An association agreement helps prepare for this first step.

In the case of the Western Balkans, a special process, the Stabilisation and Association Process exists to deal with the special circumstances there.

When a country formally applies for membership, the Council asks the Commission to prepare an opinion on the country's readiness to begin negotiations. The Council can then either accept or reject the Commission's opinion (The Council has only once rejected the Commission's opinion when the latter advised against opening negotiations with Greece).[19]

If the Council agrees to open negotiations the screening process then begins. The Commission and candidate country examine its laws and those of the EU and determine what differences exist. The Council then recommends opening negotiations on "chapters" of law that it feels there is sufficient common ground to have constructive negotiations. Negotiations are typically a matter of the candidate country convincing the EU that its laws and administrative capacity are sufficient to execute European law, which can be implemented as seen fit by the member states. Often this will involve time-lines before the Acquis Communautaire (European regulations, directives and standards) has to be fully implemented.

State
Status
Association
Agreement
Applied for
Membership
Candidate
status
Start of
negotiations
Screening
completed
Acquis Chapters
open/closed[20]
Albania Albania Candidate 12 June 2006 (SAA) 28 April 2009 23 June 2014
Iceland Iceland Candidate 9 April 2001 (SAA) 16 July 2009 27 July 2010 27 July 2010 27 July 2010 27/11 of 33
Republic of Macedonia Macedonia Candidate 9 April 2001 (SAA) 22 March 2004 17 December 2005
Montenegro Montenegro Negotiating 15 October 2007 (SAA) 15 December 2008 17 December 2010 29 June 2012 2/2 of 33
Serbia Serbia Negotiating 29 April 2008 (SAA) 22 December 2009 1 March 2012 21 January 2014 21 January 2014 1/0 of 35
Turkey Turkey Negotiating 12 September 1963 (AA) 14 April 1987 12 December 1999 3 October 2005 13 October 2006 13/1 of 33

See also

References

  1. Издавање на патна исправа
  2. Postupak i potrebni dokazi za izdavanje ličnih dokumenata -PASOŠ
  3. ПУТНА ИСПРАВА – ПАСОШ
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Consolidated version of Council regulation No. 539/2001, as of 19 December 2009, 'Annex II' countries and territories
  5. "Visa policy of the United Kingdom#United Kingdom visa requirements",|United Kingdom visa requirements
  6. ESTA Website
  7. Visa requirements for Albanian citizens
  8. Visa requirements for Icelandic citizens
  9. "Visa Information for France: Holders of Normal Passports from Iceland". Timatic. International Air Transport Association (IATA).
  10. "Visa Information for United Kingdom: Holders of Normal Passports from Iceland". Timatic. International Air Transport Association (IATA).
  11. "Visa Information for United States: Holders of Normal Passports from Iceland". Timatic. International Air Transport Association (IATA).
  12. "Visa Information for Canada: Holders of Normal Passports from Iceland". Timatic. International Air Transport Association (IATA).
  13. Visa requirements for Macedonian citizens
  14. Visa requirements for Montenegrin citizens
  15. Visa requirements for Serbian citizens
  16. Visa requirements for Turkish citizens
  17. "European Commission—Enlargement—Potential Candidates". Retrieved 28 October 2011.
  18. "European Commission—Enlargement—Potential Candidates". Retrieved 28 October 2011.
  19. Ena.lu
  20. Excluding Chapters 34 (Institutions) and 35 (Other Issues) since these are not legislation chapters.
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