VITEBSK, 5 March (BelTA) – The first Belarusian, a resident of Vitebsk Oblast, crossed the Belarus-Latvia border by taking advantage of the Belarus-Latvia small-scale traffic agreement, BelTA learnt from assistant to the head of the Polotsk border unit Denis Glebko. The resident of the village Bigosovo (Verkhnedvinsk District) was the first to cross the border on 3 March to visit his relatives in Kraslava where he was born. More than 70 people crossed the state border between Belarus and Latvia in both directions during the weekend. In accordance with the small-scale border traffic agreement signed between the Governments of Belarus and Latvia on 23 August 2010, consular institutions began to accept documents for formalizing permits on 1 February 2012. The agreement provides for simplified (visa-free) order of border crossing by residents of border areas, who permanently live in the border areas not less than one year, irrespective of their nationality, if they have a permit for local border traffic issued by a competent authority of the other Party, and a travel document (passport, or other document, allowed by the legislation). The permit will be valid from one to five years and will cost ?20. Pensioners, disabled persons and children under 18 may be exempted from the fee on reciprocal basis. The agreement envisages the list of administrative and territorial units on the territory of each Party that make part of the border area located not farther than 30km away from the Belarus-Latvia border. If some part of such unit is located in the zone from 30km to 50km from the border, such unit is also considered a part of the border area. Residents of the border area are obliged to observe the legislation of the other Party during the stay on its territory. Thus, they cannot leave the limits of the border area. The agreement between Belarus and Latvia on simplified procedure for granting visas for near-border population signed on 27 November 2002 expired on the date the agreement on small-scale border traffic came into force. At the same time visas issued in accordance with the agreement of 27 November 2002 can be used until expiry of the validity period.

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