The public is hereby informed that, pursuant to Council Implementing Decision (EU) 11169/26 of 7 July 2026, the application of certain provisions of Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 (Visa Code) has been temporarily suspended with regard to Guinean nationals, due to Guinea’s insufficient cooperation on readmission.
These measures apply as of 10 July 2026 and will remain in force until further notice.
The measures apply exclusively to applications for short-stay Schengen visas (Type C visas) submitted by Guinean nationals who are subject to the visa requirement, regardless of their country of residence or the type of passport they hold. The Decision does not apply to national long-stay visas (Type D visas).
In particular:
- applicants must submit the complete supporting documentation required for the requested visa category, without the possibility of any waiver of the supporting documents;
- the optional exemption from the payment of visa fees for holders of diplomatic and service passports shall not apply;
- the standard processing period for 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 “visa cascade”) shall not apply.
The measures do not apply to the following categories:
- Guinean nationals who are exempt from the visa requirement pursuant to Article 4(2) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1806, or who benefit from 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 enjoying an equivalent right of free movement under 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 are entitled 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 should also be noted that the Decision does not establish any presumption that visa applications submitted by Guinean nationals should be refused. Each application will continue to be examined individually, in accordance with the provisions of the Visa Code and the applicable European Union legislation.
