Lithuania Approves Free Visas For Belarusians

Persecuted citizens of Belarus will be able to obtain a visa to the Baltic country for free.

Foreign Minister Linas Linkevičius said that the consular fee for obtaining a visa is usually paid by private organizations that help Belarusian citizens in Lithuania, reports lrv.lt .

The Lithuanian authorities approved the proposal of the Foreign Ministry to cancel the payment of entry visas for Belarusians. The decision was made on December 2 at a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers.

It is noted that such a right is granted to those who, according to the Lithuanian authorities, have been persecuted in their home country, and are going to take refuge in a neighboring state.

As Foreign Minister Linas Linkevičius explained, presenting the draft resolution, the consular fee for a visa is usually paid by non-governmental organizations that take care of such Belarusian citizens in Lithuania. “We consider it inexpedient and we propose to cancel the fee,” he said. The government agreed with this.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Baltic republic, Lithuania has allowed 674 Belarusian citizens to enter on humanitarian grounds since the beginning of the crisis in Belarus. According to the resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers adopted in August, taking into account the conclusions of a special working group on the situation in Belarus, residents of this country, whose security at home may be in danger, on a separate request from the Ministry of Internal Affairs may be granted the right to enter Lithuania with special humanitarian political goals, as noted in the decision.