pa rt II
Civil and Political Rights
(15) They will simplify practices and gradually reduce administrative requirements for
applications based on the human contacts provisions of the Final Act and of the other
aforementioned CSCE documents.
(16) They will ensure that, when applications based on the human contacts provisions
of the Final Act and of the other aforementioned CSCE documents are refused for reasons specified in the relevant international instruments, the applicant is promptly provided in writing with an official notification of the grounds on which the decision was
based. As a rule and in all cases where the applicant so requests, he will be given the
necessary information about the procedure for making use of any effective administrative or judicial remedies against the decision available to him as envisaged in the
abovementioned international instruments. In cases where exit for permanent settlement abroad is involved, this information will be provided as part of the official notification foreseen above.
(17) If in this context an individual's application for travel abroad has been refused for
reasons of national security, they will ensure that, within strictly warranted time limits,
any restriction on that individual’s travel is as short as possible and is not applied in an
arbitrary manner. They will also ensure that the applicant can have the refusal reviewed
within six months and, should the need arise, at regular intervals thereafter so that any
changes in the circumstances surrounding the refusal, such as time elapsed since the
applicant was last engaged in work or duties involving national security, are taken into
account. Before individuals take up such work or duties they will be formally notified if
and how this could affect applications they might submit for such travel.
(18) Within one year of the conclusion of the Vienna Follow-up Meeting they will publish and make easily accessible, where this has not already been done, all their laws and
statutory regulations concerning movement by individuals within their territory and
travel between States.
(19) In dealing favourably with applications based on the human contacts provisions of
the Final Act and of the other aforementioned CSCE documents, they will ensure that
these are dealt with in good time in order, inter alia, to take due account of important
family, personal or professional considerations significant for the applicant.
(20) They will deal favourably with applications for travel abroad without distinction of
any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national
or social origin, property, birth, age or other status. They will ensure that any refusal
does not affect applications submitted by other persons.
(21) They will further facilitate travel on an individual or collective basis for personal or
professional reasons and for tourism, such as travel by delegations, groups and individuals. To this end they will reduce the time for the consideration of applications for such
travel to a minimum.
(22) They will give serious consideration to proposals for concluding agreements on
the issuing of multiple entry visas and the reciprocal easing of visa processing formaliOSCE Human Dimension Commitments 127
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