The Agreement between the Republic of Macedonia and the European Community on the facilitation of the issuance of visas shall enter into force on 1 January 2007. The Agreement will facilitate the visa issuance procedures for citizens of the Republic of Macedonia for an intended stay not longer than 90 days in a period of 180 days. The Agreement will be applied all European Union member-states, with the exception Denmark, UK and Ireland.

I. The Agreement envisages the following visa facilitations:

1. Free of charge visas for the following categories:
• children under 6 years of age;
• pupils, students, post-graduate students and accompanying teachers who undertake trips for the purposes of study or educational training, including in the framework of exchange programs, as well as other educational or school related activities;
•  close relatives - spouse, children (including adopted) parents (including custodians), grandparents and grandchildren of citizens of the Republic of Macedonia, legally residing in the territory of the Member States;
• disabled persons and the person accompanying them, if necessary;
•  persons who have presented documents proving the necessity of their travel on humanitarian grounds, including to receive urgent medical treatment and the person accompanying such person, or to attend a funeral of a close relative or to visit a seriously ill close relative;
•  participants in international sports events and persons accompanying them in a professional capacity;
• persons participating in scientific, research, cultural and artistic activities including university and other exchange programmes;
• participants in official exchange programmes organized by twin cities;
• journalists;
• pensioners;
• drivers conducting international cargo and passenger transportation services to the territories of the Member States in vehicles registered in the Republic of Macedonia;
• members of train, refrigerator and locomotive crews in international trains, travelling to the territories of the Member States;
• representatives of civil society organizations when undertaking trips to attend meetings, seminars, exchange programs or trainings courses;
• representatives of religious communities registered in the Republic of Macedonia;
• members of the professions participating in international exhibitions, conferences, symposia, seminars or other similar events held in the territory of the Member States;
• Mayors and members of the municipal councils;
• Members of official delegations who, following an official invitation addressed to the Republic of Macedonia shall participate in meetings, consultations, negotiations or exchange programmes, as well as in events held in the territory of the Member States by intergovernmental organizations.

Bulgaria and Romania which are bound by the Schengen acquis, but which do not yet issue Schengen visas, may waive the fees for processing national short stay visa applications for citizens of the Republic of Macedonia, until the day to be determined by the Council Decision for their full implementation of the Schengen acquis on visa policy.

2. Issuance of multiple-entry visas for longer stays

A) Multiple-entry visas with a term of validity of up to five years will be issued to the following categories of persons:
• Spouses and children (including adopted), who are under the age of 21 or are dependent and parents (including custodians) visiting citizens of the Republic of Macedonia legally residing in the territory of the Member States, with the term of validity limited to the duration of the validity of their authorization for legal residence;
• Business people and representatives of business organisations who regularly travel to the Member States;
• Journalists;
• Representatives of religious communities registered in the Republic of Macedonia, who regularly travel to the Member States;
• Members of official delegations who, following an official invitation addressed to the Republic of Macedonia shall participate in meetings, consultations, negotiations or exchange programmes, as well as in events held in the territory of the Member States by intergovernmental organizations.
B) Multiple-entry visas with a term of validity of up to one year will be issued to the following categories of persons, provided that during the previous year they have obtained at least one visa, have made use of it in accordance with the laws on entry and stay of the visited State and that there are reasons for requesting a multiple-entry visa:

• Students and post-graduate students who regularly undertake trips for the purposes of study or educational training, including in the framework of exchange programs;
• Persons who participate in scientific, research, cultural and artistic activities, including university and other exchange programs who regularly travel to the Member States;
• Participants in international sports events and persons accompanying them in a professional capacity;
• Members of the professions participating in international exhibitions, conferences, symposia, seminars or other similar events who regularly travel to the Member States;
• Representatives of civil society organizations, travelling regularly to Member States for the purposes of educational training, seminars, conferences, including in the framework of exchange programmes;
• Participants in official exchange programs organized by twin cities;
• Mayors and members of the municipal councils;
• Drivers conducting international cargo and passenger transportation services to the territories of the Member states in vehicles registered in the Republic of Macedonia;
• Members of train, refrigerator and locomotive crews, in international trains, travelling to the territories of the Member States;
• Persons needing to visit regularly for medical reasons and necessary accompanying persons;
• Members of official delegations who, following an official invitation addressed to the Republic of Macedonia, shall regularly participate in meetings, consultations, negotiations or exchange programmes, as well as in events held in the territory of the Member States by intergovernmental organizations.
C) Multiple-entry visas with the term of validity of a minimum of 2 years and a maximum of 5 years will be issued to the categories of persons referred to under B), and to other persons provided that during the previous year they have made use of the one multiple-entry visa in accordance with the laws on entry and stay of the visited State and that the reasons for requesting a multiple-entry visa are still valid.

3. The following documentary evidence is sufficient for justifying the purpose of the journey:
• Pupils, high school and university students, post-graduate students and accompanying teachers who undertake trips for the purposes of study or educational training, including in the framework of exchange programs, as well as other educational or school-related activities: a written request or a certificate of enrolment from the host university, college or school or student cards or certificates of the courses to be attended;
• Persons participating in scientific, research, cultural and artistic activities, including university and other exchange programs: a written request from the host organization to participate in those activities;
• Representatives of civil society organizations, when undertaking trips for the purposes of educational training, seminars, conferences, including in the framework of exchange programmes: a written request issued by the host organisation, a confirmation that the person is representing the civil society organisation and the certificate on establishment of such organisation from the relevant Register issued by a state authority in accordance with the national legislation;
• Journalists: a certificate or other document issued by a professional organization proving that the person concerned is a qualified journalist and a document issued by his/her employer stating that the purpose of the journey is to carry out journalistic work;
• Participants in international sports events and persons accompanying them in a professional capacity: a written request from the host organization: competent authorities, national sport Federations or National Olympic Committees of the Member States;
• Business people and representatives of business organizations: a written request from a host legal person or company, or an office or branch of such legal person or company, or state or local authorities of the Member States or organizing committees of trade and industrial exhibitions, conferences and symposia held in the territories of Member States;
• Members of the professions participating in international exhibitions, conferences, symposia, seminars or other similar events held in the territory of the Member States: a written request from the host organisation confirming that the person concerned is participating in the event;
• Participants in official exchange programs organized by twin cities: a written request of the Head of Administration/mayor of these cities;
• Drivers conducting international cargo and passenger transportation services to the territories of the Member States in vehicles registered in the Republic of Macedonia: a written request from an association of carriers of the Republic of Macedonia providing for international road transportation, stating the purpose, duration and frequency of the trips;
• Members of train, refrigerator and locomotive crews in international trains travelling to the territories of the Member States: written request from the competent railway company of the Republic of Macedonia stating the purpose, duration and frequency of the trips;
• Close relatives - spouse, children (including adopted), parents (including custodians), grandparents and grandchildren visiting citizens of the Republic of Macedonia legally residing in the territory of the Member States: a written request from the host person;
• Representatives of the religious communities: a written request from a religious community registered in the Republic of Macedonia, stating the purpose, duration and frequency of the trips;
• Persons visiting for medical reasons and necessary accompanying persons: an official document of a medical institution confirming the necessity of medical care in this institution, the necessity of being accompanied and proof of sufficient financial means to pay for the medical treatment;
• Persons visiting for burial ceremonies: an official document confirming the fact of death as well as confirmation of the family or other relationship between the applicant and the buried;
• Members of official delegations who, following an official invitation addressed to the Republic of Macedonia shall participate in meetings, consultations, negotiations or exchange programmes, as well as in events held in the territory of the Member States by intergovernmental organizations: a letter issued by an authority of the Republic of Macedonia confirming that the applicant is a member of its delegation, travelling to the other party to participate at the aforementioned events, accompanied by a copy of the official invitation;
• Persons travelling for tourism: a certificate or voucher from a travel agency or a tour operator accredited by Member States in the framework of the local consular cooperation confirming the booking of an organized trip;
• for visiting military and civil burial grounds: an official document confirming the existence and preservation of the grave as well as family or other relationship between the applicant and the buried;
The written request needs to contain the following items:
a) for the invited person: name and surname, date of birth, sex, citizenship, number of identity document, time and purpose of the journey, number of entries and where relevant the name of the spouse and children accompanying the invited person;
b) for the inviting person – name, surname and address; or
c) for the inviting legal person, company or organisation – full name and address and
– if the request is issued by an organization, the name and position of the person who signs the request,
– if the inviting person is a legal person or company or an office or a branch of such legal person or company established in the territory of a Member State, the registration number as required by the national law of the Member State concerned.

II. The Joint Declaration on the Perspective on Mutual Visa Free Travel Regime is an integral part of the Agreement which envisages that visa facilitations provided under the Agreement will represent a transitional phase towards visa free travel regime for the citizens of the Republic of Macedonia, which will be introduced for the citizens of the Republic of Macedonia, on the basis of positive assessment of the country’s achievements in implementing relevant reforms and in accordance with the procedures and criteria provided for in the Council Regulation 539/2001 of 15 March 2001.

III. In order to ease the mobility of an extended number of persons which have family links (in particular sisters and brothers and their children) with citizens of the Republic of Macedonia legally residing in the territories of Member States, the European Community in the Declaration on Facilitations for Family Members invites the Member States' consular offices to make full use of the existing possibilities in the "acquis communautaire" for facilitating the issuance of visas to this category of persons, including in particular, the simplification of documentary evidence requested for the applicants, exemptions from handling fees and where appropriate the issuing of multiple entry visas.

IV. In the Joint Declaration on Fees For Processing Visa Applications the European Community takes note of the concerns raised by the Republic of Macedonia on the fact that the citizens of the latter are issued Schengen visas with territorial validity limited to one or several Member States, as well as of the request that citizens of the Republic of Macedonia  are not charged twice for entry into the Schengen area (for entry into Greece and for entry into other countries of the Schengen area). This issue should be assessed again, as a matter of priority, once the European Parliament and the Council will have adopted the Community Code on Visa.

V. The Political Declaration from Bulgaria on Local Border Traffic  with the Republic of Macedonia is an integral part of the Agreement, based on the EC Regulation laying down rules on local border traffic, which provides for the possibility of concluding a bilateral agreement abolishing visa regime for the category of citizens of the Republic of Macedonia residing  or staying in the border zones, by issuance of special local permits (ID’s) for movement in the border zones of Bulgaria ( in an area of 30 to 50 km along the border).

VI. The European Community Declaration on Access of Visa Applicants and Harmonisation of Information on Procedures for Issuing Short-Stay Visas and Documents to be Submitted When Applying for Short-Stay Visas is an integral part of the Agreement.  It is necessary to draw up basic information for applicants on the procedures and conditions for applying for visas and on their validity; then a list of minimum requirements in order to ensure that applicants from Republic of Macedonia are given coherent and uniform basic information and are required to submit, in principle, the same supporting documents. Furthermore, diplomatic missions and consular posts of the Member States need to organise themselves in such a way that an appointment for submitting the visa application and the relevant supporting documents can be ensured within a reasonable period of time. The diplomatic missions and consular posts of the Member States are to also provide information about existing possibilities under the Schengen acquis for facilitation of the issuing of short-term visas including on the simplification of document requirements on a case-by-case basis, and in particular for bona fide applicants.

VII. The Joint Declarations on conclusion of separate bilateral agreements on facilitation of the visa regime between the Republic of Macedonia and the UK, Ireland, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Lichtenstein are integral part of the Agreement.