Russian citizens will now be spared some of the bureaucracy involved in the application procedure for a Schengen visa. The visa is issued to citizens of countries who are required to obtain a visa before entering European countries.

Active Schengen visa members are Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxemburg, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands

Traveling on a Schengen visa means the visa holder can travel to any of the member countries using a single visa, therefore avoiding having to obtain individual visas for each country. This is useful for businessmen traveling to several of the countries on one same trip.

According to Andrei Podyelyshev, the deputy head of the consulate department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, from 1st June applicants visiting any of the consulates of Schengen members will have to bring along a simple application letter from the host country.

"In accordance with the agreement to simplify the handing-out of visas to Russian and European Union citizens, which will come into force on 1st June 2007, the system of invitations usually required by national legislation will be discontinued," said Podyelyshev.

Previously, applications for a Schengen visa had to be approved by the Federal Migration Service. This is no longer necessary, and responses to visa applications will now be provided within ten calendar days, as opposed to the ten working days, which was previously the case.

This new arrangement is only applicable for visas of up to 90 days and for certain categories of citizens. These include school students, businesspeople and delegation members. The cost for the visa will be set at 35 euros. Categories of citizens exempt from this charge include students and disabled people.

Russian-EU diplomats will not be required to obtain a passport.  

By Nathalie Cooper