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The signing of a visa-free agreement with the Schengen zone countries opens up new possibilities for us in terms of the so called white Schengen list featuring 57 countries, from Korea, Mexico and Uruguay, the Caribbean islands, which demand visas, to many other countries — President of Ukraine

President Poroshenko refers some unofficial list of countries that offer simplified entry to their territory for citizens of countries who, in turn, have visa-free entry to Schengen Area.

I searched what countries belong to this list, but failed to find anything relevant.

What countries belong to "White Schengen list"? It must be about 57 countries, including Korea and Mexico.

Update. Sorry for my poor wording. This is a single question, not two. And it is not about Annex II. Namely, Annex II says citizens of what countries may enter Schengen Area visa-free. I'm asking for a list of (non-Schengen) countries who let me, an Ukrainian, enter on simplified rules based on the facts listed above.

Update. Reading comments and answers I can suppose that the President simply misspoken. Many media today interpret this phrase exactly like in my Q — there's Schengen Area where we supposedly get visa exemption on summer 2016, and there's a list of some non-Schengen countries where the entry may also be simplified. So "he's misspoken or misinterpreted; there is no other list than Annex II" may appear to be the answer here.

Be Brave Be Like Ukraine
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    I don't think the passage you quote has anything to do with your (clarified) question. The "Schengen whitelist" (or "white Schengen list") is exactly Annex II. This meets your requirements: it lists over 50 countries including (South) Korea, Mexico, and Uruguay. That seems to be what Poroshenko is talking about. The article doesn't seem to be about countries that offer simplified entry, but about Ukraine gaining prestige by being one of the countries offered simplified entry (to Schengen, nowhere else). – Tim Pederick Dec 21 '15 at 13:44
  • There are also a few countries that have special rules or exemptions for Schengen visa holders but no central “list” or any binding procedure (each country can decide for itself whether it wants to grant such an exemption or not) so no reason Ukraine would become one of them through an agreement with the EU and of course no benefits to Ukrainian travelling abroad. And there are far fewer than 50 countries like that, see http://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/38706/which-are-the-non-schengen-countries-that-allow-entry-from-a-schengen-country – Relaxed Dec 21 '15 at 17:27

2 Answers2

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This is a literal, rather than idiomatic, translation.

In Russian the text is "белым списком шенгена" which is probably better translated as "Schengen whitelist". This seems to be referring to countries whose nationals do not require a visa to travel to countries in the Schengen area, as this is what is happening for Ukraine, but neither this term or the other translation given in the news article are commonly used in English; the list is generally referred to as Annex II (see below).

What has actually happened is that the European Commission has recommended that nationals of Ukraine (as well as Georgia and Kosovo) should be allowed access to the Schengen area for short stays without visas (pending approval by the Schengen states themselves). This doesn't mean that Ukraine becomes a part of the Schengen area, though.

TASS has a slightly longer article containing the same quote and odd translation, as well as a few more details.

The list of countries whose nationals can visit the Schengen area for short stays without visas - other than those in the EU itself - is given in EC 539/2001 Annex II, or you can find a more accessible list on Wikipedia. This is sometimes called the Schengen whitelist, while the Schengen blacklist is Annex I, the list of countries whose nationals require a visa to visit.

Michael Hampton
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  • I mean the first question as whether the translation made any sense. As for his statement, he's referring to eventually asking other countries to waive visa requirements, because the Schengen area will have done so. You have at least a few months to wait. I hear the Schengen part will not be done until at least next summer. – Michael Hampton Dec 21 '15 at 05:59
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You can probably glean a list of the countries from this map on Wikipedia regarding Visa Free entry for all EU citizens (or go through the big table on the associated webpage).

map: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_requirements_for_European_Union_citizens#/media/File:Visa_requirements_for_the_European_Union_citizens.png

webpage: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_requirements_for_European_Union_citizens

phoog
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    One thing I hate about Stack is people's editing other people's statements. You want to correct my misspelling fine, but don't re-arrange the way I express myself. –  Dec 22 '15 at 02:30