The member states of the EU have approved the mandate for the Commission to start negotiations with Kazakhstan on the visa facilitation agreement.
Under the visa facilitation agreement, Kazakhstan is requiring the bloc to ease a set of measures for Kazakh citizens applying for a Schengen visa.
However, as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan explained, it is yet to be determined when the agreement will be signed and officially enter into force, Schengen.News reports.
Speaking for Astana Times, the Ministry said that the specific date for the signing of the visa facilitation agreement with the EU will be decided as soon as the negotiations are concluded.
In addition, the Ministry highlighted that the changes will become effective only after Kazakhstan and EU authorities complete the relevant procedures.
Schengen visa facilitation is one of the main priority areas in which Kazakhstan wants to strengthen its cooperation with the blocthe President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev previously said.
Such a comment was made during his meeting with the EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen ahead of the inaugural Central Asia – European Union Summit, which was held at the beginning of this month in Uzbekistan.
During their meeting, both leaders acknowledged the progress that has been made so far in the visa facilitation negotiations.
Kazakhstan Wants EU to Ease These Visa Procedures
Under the visa facilitation agreement, Kazakhstan expects the EU to facilitate a number of requirements for its citizens applying for Schengen visas.
According to the Kazakhstan authorities, the country wants the member states to process visa applications faster, thus reducing the processing time.
The country also wants the bloc to lower the visa application fee, issue multiple entry visas with a longer validity period, limit the number of required documents, and introduce preferential categories for applicants.
To reach this agreement, the Kazakhstan authorities have said that the country has taken all the necessary steps to ensure that there will not be a spike in irregular migration.
The authorities also stressed that they are open to cooperating in the readmission of Kazakhstan nationals who stay in the bloc without the needed documentation.
Statistics published by SchengenVisaInfo show that Kazakhstan nationals file a large number of Schengen visa applications every year. In 2023 alone, this nationality submitted 159,072 Schengen visa applications.
During the same year, 143,970 Kazakhstan passport holders were granted a visa while 14,285 of them had their applications denied.