The European Union (EU) Council has approved the agreement on visa facilitation and readmission with Belarus.
“Today, the Council has approved the decision to conclude the agreement on visa facilitation and a readmission with Belarus,” the EU Council statement issued on Wednesday in Brussels reads.
In accordance with the agreement on visa facilitation, the cost of short-term Schengen visas for Belarusian citizens is reduced from €80 to €35. The list of documents that must be submitted when applying for visas is reduced.
Also, the possibility of issuing multiple-entry visas for a period of one year to five years is provided. The time for making a decision on issuing a visa will be reduced to 10 days, many categories of citizens will be able to apply for a visa free of charge.
Recall that the Belarusian Foreign Ministry earlier explained: “The agreements will enter into force on the first day of the second month after receiving the appropriate notification from the European side.”
On 2 February the revised EU visa code increased the visa fee to €80 worldwide, Belarus included. Some embassies, considering it unfair, introduced relaxations for Belarusian children and youth during the “transition” period.
Vandrouki.by has calculated that if the Belarusian side recieve the notification before the end of May, the changes will highly likely come into force on 1 July 2020.
