Why Poland Has Imposed Transit Visa Requirements for Armenian Citizens: MoFA Clarifies

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia has explained why Poland has imposed a requirement for Armenian citizens to obtain an air transit visa.

In response to a written inquiry from News.am regarding any information the Armenian side has on why Poland has implemented this new type of visa, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "According to information received from the Polish side, the requirement for obtaining a transit visa has been applied as a preventive measure. This is due to a number of Armenian citizens in recent months, lacking a Schengen entrance visa, interrupting their travel at Warsaw Airport under the pretext of flying to third countries and applying to the competent authorities of Poland for temporary protection, a special procedure intended for citizens of non-EU countries who have been forced to leave their place of residence or have been displaced and cannot return. This special procedure was established by the European Commission on March 4, 2022, to support Ukrainian citizens leaving the country due to military operations in Ukraine and other persons legally residing in Ukraine as of February 24, 2022. According to the information from the Polish side, in recent months, a number of applications have been received from Armenian citizens through this method for temporary protection, which have effectively led to illegal migration.

It should be noted that preventive measures against illegal migration imposed by EU countries are not unprecedented. Since March 11, 2019, Armenian citizens have also needed an airport transit visa when crossing international transit areas at airports in the Czech Republic.

This issue is under the attention of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, has been discussed with the Polish side, and may be lifted if the indicated risks are neutralized or other preventive mechanisms are applied.

It is worth reminding that starting from August 1, 2022, Poland has imposed a requirement for air transit entry permits for Armenian citizens traveling through Polish airports to destinations outside the Schengen area, in accordance with Article 2 of paragraph 3 of Regulation (EC) No. 810/2009 of the European Parliament and the Council on the Community Code on Visas. The airport transit visa allows Armenian citizens to remain in the international transit zone without the possibility of exiting it. The consular fee for issuing a visa amounts to 80 euros. While Poland imposed the transit visa requirement starting August 1, the announcement on the embassy's website was published from August 10. Other countries with similar restrictions in this list alongside Armenia include Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Ghana, Iraq, and Congo.