This year I
started my European Voluntary Service in Poland. In advance everything seemed
for me very easy, but first trouble started already in Polish embassy in
Georgia. I needed to collect a lot of documents for visa and I changed my photo
several times because the consul didn’t like it. Finally I got the visa but it
was quite difficult . The visa was only for Poland and it was valid for 3
months. After first month of being in Poland I started again to collect
documents to apply for residence card. This card gave me right to travel
legally in Shengen zone. To make this card it takes long time, dealing with
papers and documents and is as well expensive. I can say big thank you for my
foundation because they paid for that.
My first
travels were to Germany, Netherlands and Belgium for youth exchanges. Certainly
there was no problem, because in Europe the borders are totally open, so it’s
easy to travel across the Shengon zone when you have residence card.
My next trip
was to Great Britain but in this case it was quite complicated and absolutely
different. United Kingdom as you know is part of Europe but it’s not in Shengen
zone, that’s why I had to go to Warsaw for visa two times. When they were
checking my documents in airport and especially when they realized that I am
Georgian they questioned me a lot. They were checking my passport and visa
validity for long time. When I was already in Stansted airport in UK, they
stopped me because I needed to go to special gate which was for non-european
citizens. Because I am from Georgia, I had to fill in a special form. As well
they needed all kind of information – why I was going to London? How long?
Where I was staying and who was in charge of me in London. I was thinking how
unfair life was, when my friends were checked in two minutes, because they are
from Europe.
I think it
is a very big problem for countries which are not in European Union. It means
that we don’t have many opportunities to travel. It is very expensive to make a
visa and after at the border they are treating you like a “criminal”.
What do you
think about this issue? Now we can solve this problem? May be there is solution
without being in European Union?
Now I wish,
I could be equal to travel across whole Europe without visa.
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