Slovakia started issuing long-term visas to Ukrainian tourists, businessmen and relatives of Slovaks from January 2013, Mukachevo.net has reported.
“If a person already had a visa and used it within the law, that is if he had a tourist visa and really visited the stated place and returned on time, we can give him a visa for five years,” the news site reported, citing Slovak Consul General in Uzhgorod Janka Burianova.
If the applicant for a visa has never been to a country of the Schengen area, he will receive a visa for a period of six months to two years, and if he has already had a Schengen visa, he can get a multiple-entry visa for two to five years.
“Slovak diplomats issued 6,000 visas to Ukrainians in January, or almost two times more than in December. They can be issued in Uzhgorod or Kyiv,” reads the report.
Slovak diplomats say that since the introduction of the new rules Slovakia has already seen an influx of Ukrainian tourists. Travel agencies in Zakarpattia region have also noted increased demand for tours of different price categories.
