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Friday 19th of April 2024, 16:50 CET |
| Border Disorder: How to Travel with an Ukrainian Pasport |
September 13, 2002
Kyiv Post
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Written by Peter Byrne
Posted by HW on April 18, 2024
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When border police officers in Frankfurt‑am‑Oder, Germany, examined a truck carrying dismantled saunas earlier this month, they found 21 Ukrainians stowaways inside trying to make their way into the country. The illegal migrants were sent back across the border and into the custody of Polish authorities.
The incident marked the first time that officials had discovered a cargo of illegal aliens from Ukraine at the crossing, and some believe that the case indicates that westward‑bound Ukrainians are taking desperate measures in the face of growing impediments to entering the soon‑to‑be expanded European Union.
While diplomats in Kyiv hope that the European Union’s enlargement won’t create a new dividing line in Europe, a velvet curtain is rapidly descending across Ukraine’s Western frontier.
The Czech Republic, one of the front‑runners for EU accession, began requiring Ukrainians to obtain visas in 2000. Slovakia and Bulgaria, both of which are resort destinations popular with Ukrainians, followed suit last year.
Once the new candidates get into the EU, the bloc will for the first time share a border with Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine, countries with problems many in the West would like to keep at arms length.
Local travel agents say that the flow of Ukrainian visitors to their Western neighbors has dropped dramatically in recent years.
Tetyana Shestopalova, head of business development for SAM Travel, wouldn’t cite exact figures, but said that the number of Ukrainians traveling to Bulgaria this year was down 50 percent compared to the previous year. Shestopalova said local tourists are reluctant to deal with visa applications and pay the $24 Bulgarian visa fee.
“For most people who used to spend their summer vacations in Bulgaria, $24 is quite a bit of money,” she said. “Also, you need to plan your trip in advance if you need a visa.”
She said that now most local tourists prefer Turkey as an alternative to Bulgaria. Turkey issues visas to Ukrainians on arrival for a $10 fee.
Montenegro has surfaced as another popular destination, she said. Though facilities there tend to be underdeveloped, Ukrainians don’t need visas to visit Montenegro. A 10‑day vacation there may cost as little as $200, she said.
Travelers bound for popular ski resorts in Slovakia have also become scarcer since the country began requiring Ukrainians to obtain visas last year. Skiers have been opting for Poland’s Zakopane resort instead, Shestopalova said. That alternative may be short‑lived, though: Poland will adopt a visa requirement for Ukrainians next July.
Poland, Hungary and Romania will start requiring visas for Ukrainians in July 2003. By then, Croatia, Montenegro, Cyprus and Turkey will remain the only European countries where Ukrainians can travel essentially visa‑free, Shestopalova said.
If the dozens of messages posted daily on the tour.com.ua Internet site are any indication, visa requirements are a daunting impediment to thousands of Ukrainians who want travel to West European countries.
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The forum’s participants, who include residents of Ukraine, Moldova, Russia and Belarus, discuss a variety of techniques, ranging from a quick way of obtaining a hotel voucher to Bulgaria, to organizing invitation letters to England, to booking fake rooms in Budapest. Participants share personal stories and exchange phone numbers for details.
Meanwhile, requirements for travel to most EU countries have become more elaborate as EU members refine measures to filter tourists and businessmen from potential immigrants.
Paperwork applicants may be required to submit includes foreign and domestic passports, evidence of home ownership or rental agreements, letters from employers and local housing authorities, and birth certificates for all family members.
The EU’s stringent visa requirements have been a boon for visa brokers, who advertise their services in newspapers and on the Internet. They say they can help with the paperwork associated with a visa application and many guarantee that applicants will be issued visas without having to appear for an interview at an embassy.
Dmitry, a visa broker who declined to provide his last name, said middlemen were already collecting a fee of up to $750 for securing a multiple‑entry visa allowing for a 12‑month stay in an EU country. That’s much more than the 50 euros the German Embassy charges.
“The wealthy are willing to pay more – and will continue to be willing to pay more – to avoid the hassle of waiting in line,” Dmitry said.
Dmitry said he’s had years of experience working with select embassies.
Sabina Stoehr, spokeswoman for the German embassy in Kyiv, debunked the notion that intermediaries could obtain preferential treatment for their clients.
“No [person] or organization can give a guarantee for obtaining a visa at the German Embassy,” she said, adding that the same rules apply to all visa applicants.
“There is a short list of companies that are allowed to hand in applications without a queue, but this does not mean the documents received are less thoroughly examined,” Stoehr said.
Travel agency officials say it is relatively rare for Ukrainians to be denied visas by countries where Ukrainians have customarily spent vacations. Spain, Italy and Greece refuse fewer than 10 percent of Ukrainians who apply. Visas to Great Britain and the United States are the toughest to acquire, intermediaries say, because the decision to grant them is subjective.
Travelers with visas from any EU country besides Great Britain and Sweden may generally move about freely within the EU.
Klava Shevelyuk, 21, who earlier this year led a student delegation for an international summit in Brussels, said none of her 10 colleagues were refused visas to Belgium.
“We weren’t worried about receiving visas,” she said. “If I had received a refusal from the Belgian consulate, I would have applied for a visa from the French or German embassy.” |
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