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Estonia welcomes Georgia's visa freedom to EU, Schengen Area

Xinhua, March 28, 2017 Adjust font size:

Estonia welcomed Georgians' status to travel to the EU and the Schengen Area for short stays without a visa starting from Tuesday.

"Estonia is delighted to welcome Georgians in Estonia. It is an important step in EU-Georgia relations. The visa liberalization will increase people-to-people contacts, promote tourism and strengthen business ties," said Paul Teesalu, Political Director of Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Teesalu said Georgia expressed its firm commitment to EU integration by fulfilling necessary conditions for visa liberalization.

Coming into force on Tuesday, the Decision gives Georgian citizens holding biometric passports the right to stay for a period of 90 days within any 180-day period without a visa in 30 countries in the EU and the Schengen Area.

In 2016, Estonia issued short-term Schengen visas to 1,713 Georgian citizens. During first three months of this year, Estonian Embassy in Tbilisi, capital of Georgia, has issued 437 short-term visas, according to the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Endit