The European Commission has proposed to the EU Parliament and Council to remove the tourist and business visa requirement for Turkish nationals traveling to EU member states and associated Schengen states (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) except for Ireland and the United Kingdom. Until the proposal is approved (which is expected to happen June 2016), Turkish nationals will require Schengen visas.

The lifting of the visa requirement is also subject to Turkey complying with the outstanding benchmarks of the Visa Liberalisation Roadmap, a document developed by the European Commission and other EU experts to outline a plan for Turkey to address the following areas in exchange for consideration of visa-free status:

• Immigration document security;
• Migration management;
• Public order and security; and
• The fundamental rights and readmission of irregular migrants.

If the proposal is approved, Turkey is expected to remove visa restrictions for nationals of EU member states and associated Schengen states mentioned above.

What This Means for Employers and Foreign Nationals

If the proposal is approved, Turkish nationals would benefit from visa-free business and tourist stays in the Schengen area for up to 90 days in a 180-day period.

The proposal is under consideration and Fragomen will report on further developments.

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