Air borders come down tomorrow

Air borders between Malta and most other EU member states will be abolished tomorrow as the country starts reaping the benefits of membership of the Schengen area.

Sea borders were lifted last December 21 enabling passport-free sea travel between Malta and Sicily.

Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici said yesterday that passengers travelling from Malta to other countries in the Schengen space will be able to travel without having to go through passport control.

This, however, did not mean they could travel without a passport or identification. Identification could be requested for security reasons but one would be able to pass through the Schengen passage without any difficulty as if boarding a bus and disembarking in another country.

The Schengen agreement was, for Malta, somewhat more important than for other countries because the island was cut off from the mainland, Dr Mifsud Bonnici held. Asked about the preparatory work, the minister said this was extensive, and before Malta was given the go-ahead, several checks were carried out by EU delegations to ensure the island had reliable IT and physical control systems.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry then had to see how to go about issuing Schengen visas to third-country, non-EU nationals. Such visas would enable citizens from these countries to visit countries in the Schengen area without needing separate visas.

Dr Mifsud Bonnici said the implementation of Schengen in part in December had already improved sea transport communication and the Maltese were enjoying increased mobility.

Asked whether the agreement meant that an illegal immigrant out of detention here could travel to any country in the Schengen space, Dr Mifsud Bonnici said this was not possible because airlines checked documents for security reasons, either at check-in or just before boarding. He said that, likewise, the airport would be informed of any court-issued warrants barring a person from leaving the country so as to prevent abuse.

The other countries that became Schengen members with Malta and will also be dismantling their air borders tomorrow night are the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia.

The other members are Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.

The principal immigration officer said that as from Sunday, checks on internal (Schengen) flights leaving from, or arriving at, Malta will be abolished.

Nationals of non-member states shall be granted leave to enter their territory with a valid passport. In this case, visas, residence cards and certificates will be required wherever necessary, as per current procedures.