Belarusians to soon pay €35 for Schengen Visa

Belarusians will soon have to pay only €35 for a Schengen visa application. The President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, has confirmed the completion of the ratification of the agreements on readmission and visa facilitation with the EU. The Visa Facilitation Agreement will come into force in June 2020. 

On April 2, the documents for the finalization of the process got the approval of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus. The main provision of the Visa Facilitation Agreement is the reduction of the Schengen visa fees for citizens of Belarus. 

From February this year, all Belarusians that apply for a Schengen Visa have been subject to the new Schengen Visa Code imposed from February this year which included an increase in the Schengen visa fees from €60 to €80. 

At the end of December 2019, the European Union External Action [EUEA] had confirmed that while Belarus will be affected by the increase in Schengen visa fees, it will only be temporary, that is, until the time that the Visa Facilitation Agreement comes into force. 

As per an explanation by the EUEA at that time, with the Visa Facilitation Agreement being enforced, the visa fee would “automatically decrease from €80 to €35 for all Belarusian citizens.”

As per the latest decision in this regard, a large number of Belarusian citizens can apply for Schengen visas without paying the fees based on their purpose for visiting the Schengen Area. 

Belarusians will also be eligible for multiple-entry visas with a longer period of validity. The procedure involved in securing these multiple-entry visas will be simpler as compared to earlier. 

With the simplifying of the process, an entrepreneur, for example, will be required to only provide a letter from the receiving party. 

As per the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Oleg Kravchenko, the agreement would only be valuable for short-term visas. 

Under the agreements entered into by the EU and Belarus, both parties have agreed to strengthen their ties as well as mutual understanding. 

To get a Schengen Visa, a Belarusian citizen will have to pay €35 from June 2020. Similarly, EU citizens will be required to pay €35 for a Belarusian visa. 

If you are looking to Study, Work, Visit, Invest or Migrate Overseas, talk to Y-Axis, the World’s No.1 Immigration & Visa Company.

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