Italian embassies and consulates worldwide have begun applying Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/1454 of 25 June 2026, which temporarily suspends specific facilitations under the Schengen Visa Code for applicants from Somalia. The first public notice was published on 20 July 2026 by the Embassy of Italy in Wellington and is being replicated across the consular network. Under the measure, consular posts must request additional supporting documents, may require higher visa fees and can extend processing times from 15 to 45 days for Somali citizens. Multiple-entry visas will be issued only in exceptional humanitarian cases. The Council cited Somalia’s “insufficient cooperation on readmission of irregular migrants” as grounds for the partial suspension, a step foreseen in Article 25a of Regulation (EC) 810/2009. For Italian employers, the new rules mean that planned assignments of Somali technicians, seafarers or trainees could face longer lead-times. Mobility managers should verify whether work-permit pre-authorisations (nulla osta) are in place and factor in the extended visa-issuance window before booking travel. Companies using the seasonal-worker quota under the 2026–2028 Flussi decree should also note that the suspension covers both short-stay C-type and long-stay D-type visas. Legal advisers highlight that applicants can ask for urgent processing on medical or family-reunification grounds, but evidence thresholds are high. Where projects are time-critical, employers may consider seconding staff of different nationalities while the suspension remains in force; the Council will review the measure in six months. The decision underscores the EU’s willingness to link readmission cooperation to visa policy—an approach likely to affect other countries with low return-rate statistics. Mobility teams should monitor further Council deliberations, as similar suspensions could cascade to additional nationalities later in 2026.
Source: Embassy of Italy in Wellington
