Visa-applicant No. 1000 in Arkhangelsk

The visa-application service in Arkhangelsk has become far more attractive than originally believed when the Honorary Consulate of Norway started to handle the paper-work in February this year. This week, application No. 1000 was received from Sergey Lukin.

Sergey is working as an engineer of the Norwegian company “NSK-Arkhangelsk” which is functioning in Arkhangelsk for over 10 years. This time Sergey applies for 3-years visa.

- People in Arkhangelsk acknowledge that after establishing of Honorary Consulate in Arkhangelsk the visa process became easier and faster, says Andrey Shalyov, Norway’s Honorary Consul in the Pomor-capital by the White Sea.

With its 330,000 inhabitants Arkhangelsk is the largest city in the Barents Region.

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1/3 of all visitors apply for so-called Pomor visa, the simplified type of Norwegian visa which does not require special invitation. Another 1/3 of applications are dealing with different projects of the Barents cooperation in the field of sport, culture, education health care and agriculture. The rest part wants to go to Norway for visiting their relatives and friends. The hottest time in visa applications handling is connected to the pre-vacation period in May-June and also to the time when the students of Arkhangelsk universities are going for studying in Norway. Thus, during this summer over 60 students from Arkhangelsk got residence permit in Norway.

Text: Julia Iordanova