Russian Upper House Ratifies Amendments To Travel Facilitating Agreement With Latvia

Russian Upper House Ratifies Amendments to Travel Facilitating Agreement With Latvia

The Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian parliament, ratified on Wednesday amendments to the intergovernmental agreement with Latvia on the mutual facilitation of cross-border travel by residents of border areas.

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th October, 2018) The Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian parliament, ratified on Wednesday amendments to the intergovernmental agreement with Latvia on the mutual facilitation of cross-border travel by residents of border areas.

The agreement, which was signed in the Latvian capital of Riga on November 14, 2017, applies to citizens of the Russia and Latvia, as well as foreign citizens who had been legally residing in the border area of these states for at least the last three years.

The amendments to the agreement were initiated by the Latvian side. They envisage the abolition of restrictions on the total stay of Russian citizens in adjacent border areas of Latvia during the Calendar year, and vice versa.

Simplified procedure for issuing permits for local border traffic to residents of border areas also abolishes the need to present a health insurance valid for the period of the first trip. Also, border control officers will no longer put stamps in passports of the border areas residents within local border traffic.