EU's new agreement with Russia to ease regulations for multiple-entry visa
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A new agreement between the European Union and Russia is to make it easier for Finnish citizens who travel frequently to Russia to get multiple entry visas.
Under the new agreement, certain groups of travellers, including journalists and businesspeople will not need an official invitation to get a visa.
Travellers falling into these categories will primarily be granted multiple-entry visas for one or five years. The new rules also stipulate that the visas must be granted within ten days, and that there will be no fees for visas for students, those visiting relatives, and the disabled.
Russia has also made a commitment to ease the process of registering travellers.
Under present regulations, those arriving in the country must register with officials within three days.
Hilkka Nenonen, head of the passport and visa unit of the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, says that the arrangements follow the lines of an agreement reached between Russia and Germany. "The long-term goal is visa-free travel", Nenonen says.
The EU and Russia agreed on the rules after extensive negotiations. Nenonen says that Russia was finally persuaded to back the agreement when those travelling with diplomatic passports were released of the obligation to hold visas.
Although the EU and Russia have reached an understanding on the principles of the new agreement, the new rules might not come into effect in October, as had been hoped.
The treaty does not require separate approval of each EU member state, but in Russia, the process could be delayed, because the treaty is linked with the approval of another agreement that would allow for the automatic return of those who have tried to illegally enter the EU from Russia.
Finland does not believe that the agreement will significantly increase the number of Russians visiting Finland; for the past ten years Finland has unilaterally granted Russian citizens the same considerations that are to be enshrined in the treaty between Russia and the EU.
The agreement could cause some problems for the Finnish Consulate-General in St. Petersburg. During high seasons for travel, there are so many applicants that it is feared that the ten-day limit might not hold.
Most of the Finnish visas granted to Russian citizens are issued in St. Petersburg, and the Consulate-General has to enlist extra personnel to deal with seasonal surges of applications.
Helsingin Sanomat
