MOSCOW, July 26 (RIA Novosti) - Group visas have been abolished for US-bound ship and air crews. The Administration has determined so to enhance anti-terror safety. The arrangement concerns all countries, Russia being no exception, and envisages individual visas with biometric information. Every applicant will go through an interview. Five years is the longest term for a visa, and the length will be established for every particular country on the reciprocity basis.
Shipping offices and airlines will have to untie purse-strings, as individual visas imply higher fees, Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs press and information department says in a statement. Timetables are likely to change, too, as visa drawing will take longer, it adds.
