English

Some 21,000 people in Belarus exempted from German visa fee this year

The German embassy in Belarus exempted roughly 21,000 people, or 30 percent of all visa applicants, from paying the visa fee this year, Florian Schrieverhoff, head of the German embassy`s visa office, told BelaPAN.

Entitled to free visas are children under six years of age, students traveling under academic exchange programs, scientists traveling in the framework of research projects or to conferences, members of charities who travel to cultural or sports event at the invitation of German partners, and the spouses or underage children of EU citizens.

In addition, the German embassy issues free visas to children under 12 years of age and under 25-year-old people who plan to take part in cultural or sports events at the invitation of charities, he said.

The embassy may also issue free visas to adults accompanying Chernobyl-affected children on charity-funded trips, journalists who travel to Germany under programs funded by the federal government, and athletes who take part in international tournaments, said Mr. Schrieverhoff.

Apart from this, he said, the embassy has decided to exempt children who travel to Germany for charity-funded treatment from the visa fee as well.

"One should remember that the purpose of the visa fee is to finance the expenses of the country that issues the visa. That is why if we don`t collect the visa fee, the money does not reach the German budget. In fact this is the German government`s gift to your country`s applicants," said Mr. Schrieverhoff.