The Diplomat
The Council of Ministers has authorized this past Tuesday the signing of the Agreement between Spain and Uzbekistan on reciprocal exemption of visas for holders of diplomatic passports.
The bilateral agreement aims to strengthen and deepen the relations of friendship and cooperation between both countries, and facilitate the free movement of holders of diplomatic passports. It is aimed at nationals of both countries, Spanish and Uzbek, holders of diplomatic passports, valid and in force.
The possibility of adopting agreements to abolish visa requirements for diplomatic passports is provided for in Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 of 14 November 2018, which, in addition to determining the third countries whose nationals must be in possession of visas when crossing the external borders of the Member States of the European Union, allows them to establish exceptions to the visa requirement for third-country nationals when they are holders of diplomatic passports, service or official passports or special passports.
Currently, any Spanish citizen who wants to travel to Uzbekistan for a period of more than thirty days must apply for a visa. However, there is the possibility of travelling without a visa, for tourist purposes, provided that the stay does not exceed thirty days. This thirty-day visa-free regime applies to tourists holding all categories of passports (diplomatic, service, official and ordinary). Therefore, thanks to this agreement, people with diplomatic passports from either country will be able to stay in the other country for more than thirty days without needing a visa.
