The public is hereby informed that, pursuant to Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/1454 of 25 June 2026, certain provisions of Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 (Visa Code) have been temporarily suspended with regard to Somali nationals, due to Somalia’s insufficient cooperation on readmission.
The measures apply from 26 June 2026 and will remain in force until further notice.
The provisions concern exclusively applications for short-stay Schengen visas (Type C visas) submitted by Somali nationals subject to the visa requirement, regardless of their country of residence or the type of passport held. The Decision does not apply to national long-stay visas (Type D visas).
In particular:
- applicants are required to submit the complete documentation required for the type of visa requested, with no possibility of exemption from the supporting documents;
- the optional exemption from the payment of visa fees for holders of diplomatic and service passports shall not apply;
- the standard deadline for the examination of visa applications is extended to 45 calendar days;
- multiple-entry visas may not be issued, and the provisions concerning the progressive issuance of long-validity visas (the so-called “cascade system”) shall not apply.
The measures do not apply to the following categories:
- Somali nationals who are exempt from the visa requirement pursuant to Article 4(2) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1806, or who are beneficiaries of an exemption adopted pursuant to Article 6 of that Regulation;
- family members of Union citizens covered by Directive 2004/38/EC, when accompanying or joining the Union citizen;
- family members of third-country nationals who enjoy an equivalent right of free movement pursuant to an agreement concluded between the European Union and a third country;
- family members of United Kingdom nationals who are beneficiaries of the Withdrawal Agreement, provided that they have the right to join the beneficiary in the host State and apply for a visa for that purpose.
Please note: The suspension measures do not apply to cases in which Italy is required to issue a visa in fulfilment of international obligations, including those related to participation in intergovernmental organisations, international conferences or other cases provided for by international agreements. In such circumstances, the ordinary provisions of the Visa Code shall continue to apply.
It is clarified that the Decision does not introduce any presumption of refusal with regard to Somali nationals. Each visa application will continue to be examined individually, in accordance with the provisions of the Visa Code and the applicable European Union legislation.
