Poland has opened its first visa application center in Kyiv in the city's Podil district.
An Interfax-Ukraine reporter said that the center’s opening ceremony was attended by Polish Ambassador to Ukraine Henryk Litwin, representatives of the Polish Foreign Ministry, and other Polish diplomats.
The ambassador said that Poland is the leading EU country in terms of the number of Schengen visas it issues to Ukrainians, with 600,000 visas, including 400,000 Schengen visas, granted in 2011. He said that these figures suggest that it is necessary to open new consulates and visa centers.
Litwin said that Poland plans to open a new consulate in Donetsk by the time of the Euro 2012 European Football Championship. At the same time, the date of its opening depends on the Ukrainian side, as Poland is still awaiting respective permission, he said.
"In addition, in today’s world there is no other choice but to slowly move to a system of outsourcing," the ambassador said, explaining that the issue concerns the use of services of intermediaries, particularly private visa centers.
He added that other visa centers for the registration of Polish visas would also open in Ukraine.
