Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.-(1) This Order may be cited as the Immigration (Transit Visa)(Amendment) Order 2000.

(2) Articles 1, 3 and 4 of this Order shall come into force on 25th May 2000, and article 2 shall come into force on 14th June 2000.

(3) In this Order, "the 1993 Order" means the Immigration (Transit Visa) Order 1993(2).

Amendment of the 1993 Order

2.-(1) After article 1 of the 1993 Order there shall be inserted-

"1A. In this Order, "EEA State" means a country which is a Contracting Party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area signed at Oporto on 2nd May 1992(3) as adjusted by the Protocol signed at Brussels on 17th March 1993(4).".

(2) In article 2(b) of the 1993 Order, for the words "a member State of the European Communities" there shall be substituted "an EEA State".

3. For the Schedule to the 1993 Order there shall be substituted the Schedule to this Order.

Revocation

4. The Immigration (Transit Visa)(Amendment) Order 1999(5) is hereby revoked.

SCHEDULECOUNTRIES OR TERRITORIES WHOSE NATIONALS OR CITIZENS NEED A VISA FOR PASSING THROUGH THE UNITED KINGDOM

Afghanistan

Colombia

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Ecuador

Eritrea

Ethiopia

Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

Ghana

Iran

Iraq

Libya

Nigeria

People's Republic of China

Republic of Croatia

Slovak Republic

Somalia

Sri Lanka

Turkey

Uganda

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order amends the Immigration (Transit Visa) Order 1993 (as amended by the Immigration (Transit Visa)(Amendment) Order 1998, the Immigration (Transit Visa)(Amendment No. 2) Order 1998 and the Immigration (Transit Visa)(Amendment) Order 1999) by adding Colombia and Ecuador to the list of countries or territories whose nationals or citizens need a visa for passing through the United Kingdom. The Order also revokes the 1999 Order, which is spent. These provisions come into effect on 25th May 2000.

In addition, the Order amends the 1993 Order (with effect from 14th June 2000) to extend the exemption in that Order, for persons who are also nationals of an EC member State, to persons who are nationals of a State in the European Economic Area.