OREANDA-NEWS. The House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus The lower house of parliament ratified on Thursday an agreement with the European Union to simplify the issuance of visas and readmission.

Belarus and the EU signed these agreements on January 8. They will take effect on the first day of the second month after the date of notification by the parties of each other of the completion of ratification procedures. According to Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Kravchenko, the document only applies to obtaining short-term visas, the cost of which will decrease for Belarusians from € 80 to € 35.

For his part, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Belarus Alexander Barsukov noted that in connection with the ratification of the readmission agreement, "all the necessary infrastructure is being actively prepared". According to him, the European side has already provided appropriate financing in the amount of € 2.8 million.

The visa agreement provides for mutual facilitation of procedures for a wide category of citizens and a reduction in fees for Belarusians to € 35, and a decision on issuing a visa will be made within 10 days. In addition, the list of grounds for issuing free visas for non-commercial purposes will be expanded. The length of stay of foreigners in Belarus will double - from 90 days a year to 180.