Lithuania Makes Several Concessions on Transit Travel to and from Kaliningrad

Lithuania has made several concessions on the issue of transit travel to and from the Kaliningrad Region. As a Rosbalt correspondent reports, this announcement was made by Russian Presidential Envoy to the Kaliningrad Region Dmitry Rogozin yesterday. He said that Russians will now certainly be able to travel to Kaliningrad without the need of visa and added that 'certain aspects of the procedure for obtaining the simplified document for transit travel have been made easier.'

Initially Lithuania had insisted on Russian citizens making two separate visits to the offices where the documents are issued: firstly to give in their personal details and then, a day later, to pick up their document for travel. Now the Lithuanian authorities have agreed to complete the procedure in a single visit and have reduced the number of personal details that must be provided by Russian citizens. Now any Russian applying for the document must simply supply their name, date and place of birth and possibly their passport details. This information must not exceed the 72-letter limit of the document.

The new simplified document gives passengers the right to travel in and out of Lithuania as many times as they like. The document will cost EUR 5 and will be valid for up to three years. The main difference, however, Mr Rogozin emphasised, is that 'there is no longer any need for passengers to prove the necessity of their visit. They will simply have to explain the purpose of their visit.'