Languages

Three days processing of visa-applications is history. “Always apply at least 15 days prior to scheduled departure. Our processing time is 10 days,” says Marit Egholm Jacobsen, head of the visa section at Norway’s Consulate General in Murmansk.

Russian President calls on the Federal Security Service (FSB) collegium to make priority to Arctic border infrastructure.

After years of booming border traffic, October saw a slide in people crossing the Russian-Norwegian border. Shopping tourism is less attractive as ruble hits all time low on Friday.

“Longer opening, better capacity at Storskog” was promised in the political platform by Norway’s new coalition government last autumn. Not so any more.

Karelia needs more sivilized border crossing points to Finland, the deputy PM underlines during his visit to the region.

With a new visa-centre in Petrozavodsk, Karelians will no longer need to travel to St. Petersburg to apply for visa to Norway. Next year, Arkhangelsk probably gets the same.

A 690 meter long tunnel will be part of new infrastructure connecting the Norwegian border town of Kirkenes with Russia.

As tensions in East-West relations mount, more than 150 representatives of NGOs, regional authorities and institutions meet in Tromsø, northern Norway, to discuss enhanced Norwegian-Russian cooperation in the Barents Region.

Although the rise seems to be flattening out, the number of people crossing the border between Norway and Russia is still going up.

Russians living in Murmansk Oblast are now traveling more often to Norway than to Finland, according to Russian data.

A new border-crossing point between Norway and Russia is one step closer to realization as Norway’s Armed Forces have offered to clear the building site of WWII explosives for a lot less than civilian contractors.

For Norwegian border inspector Frode Berg a border is more than a line on the map. After 24 years on duty it has become his biggest hobby to study borders around the world.

Finns and Russians are visiting each other’s country more seldom. The number of visas issued in both countries has declined significantly in 2014.

IMF says Russia’s GDP risks to fall starkly to the downside this year. However, June had a 10 percent increase in travel from Murmansk region to Norway.

PASVIK: See the quick response of the Norwegian border guards. BOTV got a chance to film an alarm exercise.