The Government of Estonia has decided not to charge the state fee for the national Estonian visas from the Belarusians. This has been reported in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia. "Simplifying the entry to the European Union will help Belarus to strengthen its civil society and learn from the experience of the European Union," said Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet.
According to the Estonian minister, it is about expressing solidarity and support to the Belarusian citizens, who have to pay quite a lot for trips to the European countries. For this reason, the Belarusians are very rarely out of the country on trips, said Urmas Paet.
«We hope that other member-countries of the European Union will find a way to make trips easier for the citizens of Belarus, and the European Union will sign an agreement with Belarus on visa facilitation in the near future, which will reduce the cost of Schengen visa,» said the Estonian minister.
As Telegraf previously reported, Poland and Latvia had already lifted fees for national visas for Belarusian citizens to help promote democracy in Belarus. Lithuania also wants to introduce free national visas for Belarusians.
National visas are issued only in case of long-term staying in the state (above 91 days) within six months from the date of the first entry.
