All 28 Polish visa application centers in Russia will suspend operations from March 27 due to the extension of the Polish Embassy's contract with visa provider VFS Global, Interfax-Tourism reports.
“Dear applicants, we inform you that from March 27, 2018, all Polish visa centers are temporarily suspending their operations. March 20, 2018, is the last day for accepting documents at regional visa centers; March 22, 2018, is the last day for accepting documents in Moscow; from March 21, 2018, regional visa centers will only issue ready passports; and from March 23, 2018, the visa center in Moscow will only issue ready passports," it is said in a message on the VFS Global website.
From March 23, 2018, visa applications can only be submitted through the consular section of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Moscow and only with prior registration.
Irina Tyurina, press secretary for the Russian Union of Travel Industry (RUTI), told Interfax-Tourism that representatives of tour operators' visa services contacted their Polish partners, who stated that the decision to temporarily close visa centers was not politically motivated and that the situation would last for approximately two weeks.
"The Polish Embassy is extending its contract with the visa provider, and due to technical reasons, VFS Global is forced to suspend accepting visa applications starting March 22, with the exception of the visa center in Kaliningrad. However, the centers are expected to resume operations in early April," I. Tyurina said.
According to her, VFS Global announced that once the new contract comes into effect, applications will be accepted at all visa centers in Russia.
Source: trn-news.ru
