New regulations on Czech visas can make travel agents lose customers, Zima Leto claims

«Since the new regulations on visa issuance for those willing to go to the Czech Republic are stricter than the previous ones, travel agents are bound to lose a part of their customers. Even though it is not painstakingly difficult to collect all the papers needed for a visa application, some travelers might still decide to simply go somewhere else where getting a visa is less time-consuming», Olga Gulyar, Director of Zima Leto Travel Agency, said to UrBC.

Applicants for a Czech visa will now have to wait for ten rather than seven days. Apart from that, they must provide copies of their Russian passports (the pages that have a stamp verifying that these citizens do have an international passport), and the consular fees that could heretofore be paid at the diplomatic mission will now have to be paid through a bank.

«Nevertheless, I must admit the situation is only predictable. When a country enters the EU, its visa regulations grow harsher. I feel this is a temporary thing, and people will have less difficult time getting Czech visas as soon as 2010», she added.