Three days processing of visa-applications is history. “Always apply at least 15 days prior to scheduled departure. Our processing time is 10 days,” says Marit Egholm Jacobsen, head of the visa section at Norway’s Consulate General in Murmansk.
The first ever agreement on visa-free travel between Russia and a Schengen-member state was signed in Oslo today. The agreement stipulates how the population in the near-border areas can cross the border only by showing their ID-card.
Almost 5000 asylum seekers have crossed the Norwegian-Russian border since the European migrant crisis arose. The Norwegian government decides to toughen the asylum regulations.
KIRKENES: A group of Russian border guards last week conducted a live-fire exercise and weapons inspection at a Norwegian army post during an annual border guard exchange between the two countries.
Terrorism fears, with police and soldiers likely targets, is the reason for the special decision to allow Finnish Border Guards to be armed when on patrol in the normally relaxed town of Kirkenes in Norway’s northeastern corner.
SALMIJERVI: Contrary to earlier plans, FSB border guards reinforce the physical protection along Russia’s border to Norway. A brand new, and partly double barbed wire fence is now under construction.
A record high number of 6,8 million people crossed the Finnish-Russian border in 2010. Also the countries’ northernmost checkpoints experienced an all-time-high of travelers.
Russia works seven days a week with new highway to the border, but the Norwegian Public Roads Administration today announced that the new highway on their side will not open before 2017.
Voluntary border patrols of local civilians give invaluable help to the regular border forces along the Russian-Norwegian border, a regional border guard commander says. In the course of the last 10 months, these patrols have contributed to the detention of more than 70 violators of the border regime.
Visiting Finland this week, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev expressed confidence that no lame excuses can be made in relation to the introduction of visa-free travel between EU and Russia. Finland will continue to do everything to support visa-free regime and Norway shares the vision of visa-freedom with Russia.
Talks on the introduction of a visa-free regime was not on the table, but representatives of the EU and Russia in a recent meeting instead agreed that there is a need for facilitation of short-term visas.
