European Agreement on Regulations governing the Movement of Persons between Member States of the Council of Europe, (ETS No. 25), entered into force January 1, 1958.

    The governments signatory hereto, being members of the Council of Europe,
    Desirous of facilitating personal travel between their countries,
    Have agreed as follows:

  1. Nationals of the Contracting Parties, whatever their country of residence, may enter or leave the territory of another Party by all frontiers on presentation of one of the documents listed in the appendix to this Agreement, which is an integral part thereof.
  2. The facilities mentioned in paragraph 1 above shall be available only for visits of not more than three months' duration.
  3. Valid passports and visas may be required for all visits of more than three months' duration or whenever the territory of another Party is entered for the purpose of pursuing a gainful activity.
  4. For the purposes of this Agreement, the term "territory" of a Contracting Party shall have the meaning assigned to it by such a Party in a declaration addressed to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe for communication to all other Contracting Parties.

    To the extent that one or more Contracting Parties deem necessary, the frontier shall be crossed only at authorised points.

    The foregoing provisions shall in no way prejudice the laws and regulations governing visits by aliens to the territory of any Contracting Party.

    This Agreement shall not prejudice the provisions of any domestic law and bilateral or multilateral treaties, conventions or agreements now in force or which may hereafter enter into force, whereby more favourable terms are applied to the nationals of other Contracting Parties in respect of the crossing of frontiers.

    Each Contracting Party shall allow the holder of any of the documents mentioned in the list drawn up by it and embodied in the appendix to this Agreement to re-enter its territory without formality even if his nationality is under dispute.

    Each Contracting Party reserves the right to forbid nationals of another Party whom it considers undesirable to enter or stay in its territory.

    Each Contracting Party reserves the option, on grounds relating to ordre public, security or public health, to delay the entry into force of this Agreement or order the temporary suspension thereof in respect of all or some of the other Parties, except insofar as the provisions of Article 5 are concerned. This measure shall immediately be notified to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, who shall inform the other Parties. The same procedure shall apply as soon as this measure ceases to be operative.
    A Contracting Party which avails itself of either of the options mentioned in the preceding paragraph may not claim the application of this Agreement by another Party save insofar as it also applies it in respect of that Party.

    This Agreement shall be open to the signature of the members of the Council of Europe, who may become Parties to it either by:

    1. signature without reservation in respect of ratification;
    2. signature with reservation in respect of ratification followed by ratification.

    Instruments of ratification shall be deposited with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe.

    This Agreement shall enter into force on the first day of the month following the date on which three members of the Council shall, in accordance with Article 8, have signed the Agreement without reservation in respect of ratification or shall have ratified it.
    In the case of any member who shall subsequently sign the Agreement without reservation in respect of ratification or shall ratify it, the Agreement shall enter into force on the first day of the month following such signature or the deposit of the instrument of ratification.

    After entry into force of this Agreement, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe may invite any non-member State to accede to it. Such accession shall take effect on the first day of the month following the deposit of the instrument of accession with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe.

    Any government wishing to sign or accede to this Agreement which has not yet drawn up its list of the documents mentioned in Article 1, paragraph 1, and appearing in the appendix, shall submit a list of such documents to the Contracting Parties through the Secretary General of the Council of Europe. This list shall be considered to be approved by all the Contracting Parties and shall be added to the appendix to this Agreement if no objection is raised within two months of its transmission by the Secretary General.
    The same procedure shall apply if a signatory government wishes to alter the list of documents drawn up by it and embodied in the appendix.

    The Secretary General of the Council of Europe shall notify members of the Council and acceding States:

    1. of the date of entry into force of this Agreement and the names of any members who have signed without reservation in respect of ratification or who have ratified it;
    2. of the deposit of any instrument of accession in accordance with Article 10;
    3. of any notification received in accordance with Article 13 and of its effective date.

    Any Contracting Party may terminate its own application of the Agreement by giving three months' notice to that effect to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe.
    In witness whereof the undersigned, being duly authorised thereto, have signed this Agreement.
    Done at Paris, this 13th day of December 1957, in English and French, both texts being equally authentic, in a single copy which shall remain deposited in the archives of the Council of Europe. The Secretary General of the Council of Europe shall transmit certified copies to the signatory governments.

Appendix (in force as of 13 February 2001)

AUSTRIA :

- Valid passport or expired within the last five years
- Official identity card.

BELGIUM :

- Belgian passport, valid or expired within the last 5 years
- Official identity card
- Official identity card issued to a Belgian national, having the force of an immatriculation certificate, by a Belgian diplomatic or consular agent abroad
- Identity certificate with photograph issued by a Belgian Local Authority to a child under 12 years of age
- Identity paper without photograph issued by a Belgian Local Authority to a child under 12 years of age. This document will only be accepted in the case of children travelling with their parents
- Valid alien's identity card, issued by the competent authorities of the country of residence, for Belgians lawfully residing in France, Luxembourg and Switzerland, and stating that the bearer is of Belgian nationality
- Provisional identity card.

FRANCE :

- French passport, valid or expired within the last five years (a new model has been circulated since 28 April 1999; the previous model, delivered under certain conditions, remains valid)
- Valid French identity card
- French identity card valid for three months
- Valid alien's identity card, issued by the competent authority in the country of residence, for French nationals lawfully residing in Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland; the card must indicate the holder's nationality.

FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY :

- Passport or child's travel certificate of the Federal Republic of Germany, valid or expired within the last year
- Valid provisional identity card of the Federal Republic of Germany
- Valid identity card of the Federal Republic of Germany.

GREECE :

- Valid Greek passport
- Touristic identity card.

ITALY :

- Valid passport of the Italian Republic
- Official identity card of the Italian Republic
- For children : birth certificate with photograph, stamped by the police
- Personal identity card issued to State officials.

LUXEMBOURG :

- Luxembourg passport, valid or expired within the last 5 years
- Official identity card
- Identity and travel papers issued to a child of under 15 years of age by a Luxembourg local authority
- Valid alien's identity card, issued by the competent authorities of the country of residence, for nationals of Luxembourg residing in Belgium, France, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, stating that the holder is of Luxembourg nationality.

MALTA :

- Valid national passport
- Valid official Identity card.

NETHERLANDS :

- Valid passport of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, including national passport, business passport, diplomatic passport, official passport (passeport de service)
- Valid European identity card
- Valid identity card (tourist card) model B or BJ
- Valid alien's identity card, issued by the Belgian authorities, stating that the bearer is of Netherlands' nationality
- Valid alien's identity card, issued by the Luxembourg authorities, stating that the bearer is of Netherlands' nationality.

PORTUGAL :

- Valid passport or expired within the last five years
- Valid national identity card
- Valid collective identity and travel certificate
- Personal booklet, if used by minors.

SPAIN :

- Passport, valid or expired within the last five years
- Valid national identity card
- For persons under 18 years of age, valid national identity card together with an authorisation given by the person exercising parental authority after appearing before a central police station, magistrate, notary, mayor or commanding officer of a station of the Civil Guard (Garde Civile).

SWITZERLAND :

- Swiss passport, valid or expired within the last five years
- Valid Swiss identity card issued by a cantonal or local authority
- For children under 15 years of age who have no passport or identity card, a laissez-passer issued by the cantonal authority.

TURKEY :

- Valid national passport
- Travel certificate (for only one trip to return to Turkey).

 

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