“Our approach is to make this process simple, smooth, cheap and in many cases individual,” says Andrey Shalyov when asked about the reason behind the success to boost visas to Arkhangelsk citizens.
Including August, a total of 2,562 visa applications are handled via Norway’s Honorary Consulate in Arkhangelsk. For all twelve months last year, 1,751 visas were issued with the help of the office.
“I think that we will have at least twice more visa applications by year’s end compared to 2012,” says Andrey Shalyov to BarentsObserver. People are constantly knocking on the door to the office where also Julia Iordanova, Anastasia Sazhenova and Anna Petrova works. The office also serves as the head centre of the Norwegian Barents Secretariat in Russia.
“When I say we provide individual service it is because quite often we get applications from the “Barents people” - those who take active part in Norwegian-Russian cross-border cooperation or those who obtained friends, partners or even relatives on the Norwegian side of the border for the last years of intensive Barents activity,” says Shalyov before he again has to pick the phone and answer a question about how to obtain a Norwegian visa.
Some few years ago, Norway’s Consulate General in Murmansk started to issue so-called Pomor visas. That is multiple entry visas to citizens of Murmansk and Arkhangelsk regions issued without invitation. Starting with a one-year valid visa, the applicants will at last have a five year valid multiple entry visa to Norway. In Arkhangelsk, the office just provides application assistance and handles the visas on behalf of the Consulate General in Murmansk.
Working with both visa applications and Norwegian, Russian Barents projects is a win-win situation according to Andrey Shalyov.
“We are trying to help them in travel planning, better logistic solutions, meeting appointments etc. In this respect “Barents people” get a full package of services from our staff. From the other hand Norway as tourists destination is getting popular among people in Russia and in Arkhangelsk especially because it is one of few Russian cities that have direct flight to Norway,” he says.
