Want to travel abroad in summer vacation？ You should know these new visa regulations recently.
Belonging to Schengen, France, the night view of the "Galeries Lafayette" department store in Paris Xinhua News Agency reporter Chen Xiaowei photo (data map)
Text/Yangcheng Evening News reporter Li Cungen
If you want to travel abroad during the summer vacation, you may wish to learn about the recent changes in visa policies in relevant countries and regions.
1. The Schengen visa will undergo major reforms.
According to China News Service, the European Parliament has voted to pass the Schengen visa reform plan. It is understood that according to the EU legislative procedure, the Schengen visa reform plan can be put into practice half a year after its official promulgation if the next step is formally approved by the EU Council.
It is understood that the Schengen visa reform plan includes: applicants can submit applications six months in advance, realize online application, unify the validity period of multiple-entry visas, and increase visa fees.
So far, there are 26 countries in the Schengen area, including 22 EU member states and 4 non-EU member states: Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein.
2. Extension of visa-free fees in Thailand
The Thai government has announced that it will continue to extend the visa fee-free policy on arrival, from April 30th to October 31st, and the landing visa will be valid for 15 days. Note that visa-free fees on arrival do not mean that you don’t need to apply for a visa. Passengers still need to apply for landing visa.
3, Albania peak season visa-free
Albania implements a limited visa-free policy for tourists from China during the tourist season. The visa-free period for citizens from China is valid from March 1 to October 31, 2019. During this period, China citizens with ordinary passports can enter Albania visa-free for no more than 90 days. Albania and Italy face each other across the sea, and Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, which are visa-free in the north, can visit several European countries at one time, which is very convenient.
4. New entry regulations for Australia
According to the website of the Consulate General of China in Sydney, from April 17th, 2019, Australia will implement a new amendment to the immigration law. If an inbound passenger is found to be carrying prohibited items and fails to declare them truthfully, his visa may be cancelled immediately and he may be repatriated. It is understood that the new regulations will apply to all those who hold tourist visas and various temporary resident visas to enter Australia.
In addition, the New Deal also revised the 4013 public interest clause, stipulating that anyone whose visa was cancelled because of carrying prohibited items or carrying items that need to be declared but not truthfully declared will not be able to meet the 4013 clause within three years, thus failing to obtain a new visa.
It is understood that prohibited items usually include weapons and ammunition, drugs, stimulants and pornographic and violent publications. Items to be declared include various foods, such as meat, poultry and aquatic products, fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, tea, eggs and dairy products, various herbs and traditional medicines, various animal and plant products, living animals and plants, medicines and other items. Moreover, recently, the Australian Border Protection Bureau announced that all tobacco products will be regarded as "forbidden to import" products. If individuals go to Australia, they can usually bring tobacco products, but individuals must declare tobacco that exceeds the tax allowance and pay the required taxes when they arrive in Australia. If you are 18 years old or above, the tobacco allowance that an individual carries can be divided into two situations, one is a box of opened cigarettes, and the other is to carry an unopened cigarette box containing up to 25 cigarettes (equivalent to 25 grams of tobacco products).
Need to be reminded that if you accidentally carry it, you must declare it! Because any failure to report, omission or false report may lead to fines or even more serious consequences.