More northern visa applications
While the number of visa applications to Norway is going down in both St. Petersburg and Moscow, the number of applications from Murmansk went up by 5,6 percent the first six months of 2009.
The increase is compared with the first six months 2008. The Norwegian General Consulate in Murmansk handles all applications from citizens in Murmansk and Arkhangelsk Oblasts in addition to the Nenets Autonomous Okrug.
Starting from December last year, all inhabitants of Murmansk and Arkhangelsk Oblasts can get a so-called “Pomor-visa”, a multi-entry visa without having a special invitation from someone in Norway. However, for first time travellers, a single-entry visa will be issued. Then a one-year valid multi-entry visa will be issued, thereafter a three-year valid visa and finally the person can obtain a five-year valid multi-entry visa to Norway.
The 5,6 percent increase in visa-applications to Norway in the north is in sharp contrast to the situation in the rest of Russia. Applications delivered to the Embassy in Moscow and General Consulate in St. Petersburg went down by 19 percent compared with the first half of 2008.
The numbers of Russians staying at hotels in Norway went down with 9 percent the first six months of 2009 compared with the same period in 2008. Still, the drop in Russian tourists to Norway is much less than most other nationalities visiting Norway, shows the newly presented half-year figures from Statistics Norway.
As BarentsObserver.com reported in January, 13.589 persons got visas to Norway issued at the General Consulate in Murmansk in 2008. Only 0,8 percent of the visa-applications were rejected.
