Slovakia and Ukraine: visa-free regime

Slovakia and Ukraine: visa-free regime

On March 23, 2011 came into force an agreement under which Ukrainian citizens can get free visa to Slovakia. Agreement on visa regime facilitation was signed in Kiev on October 6, 2010. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine ratified the agreement in February 2011.

From now on free visas for the citizens of Slovakia and Ukraine will be granted for a period from three months to one year.

Slovakia became the fourth country, which concluded with Ukraine an intergovernmental visa agreement. Prior to that, similar document had been adopted by the governments of the Baltic States: Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.

Initiative in signing an agreement on visa facilitation with the EU belongs to Ukraine. At the same time, this step can be considered as part of a strategy of Ukraine's preparations for EU accession.

Slovakia is the first non-EU countries bordering with Ukraine, which facilitated visa regime. Today between the two countries is observed a period of recovery of good-neighborly relations, which was preceded by several years of intense mistrust caused by the interruption of gas supply, which took place in 2009. In 2010 Slovakia's center-right government took the power, which has allowed changing the vector of development of relations with Ukraine from cool to warm.

To date, the development border plan of Ukraine and Slovakia includes creation of three new checkpoints. The last checkpoint - Small Selmentsy - Velke Slemenece - was opened in 2006.

Ilya Kalachev

Date: 26/03/2011