Less than a month after the Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko decided to sign the visa facilitation and readmission agreements with the European Union, asserting that Belarus has completed all the domestic procedures for the signing to take place, European Union ambassadors approved the visa-facilitation plan with Belarus.

Though the move does not automatically guarantee a new visa scheme will come into effect, it is a huge step that could eventually lead to easier traveling to the Schengen Member Countries for the passport holders of Belarus.

Now, for the move to be completed the European parliament should also approve the plan. The EU Council then will make a decision by qualified majority. Finally, the National Assembly of Belarus must ratify both agreements, and then Minsk and Brussels can sign them.

After the visa facilitation plans come into force Belarus passport holder traveling to the Schengen territory for short-term purposes as tourism and business will have to pay a visa fee of €35 instead of €60 as it is now.

The authorities of Belarus officials are still hoping that the deal between Minsk and Brussels will be signed before the EU countries start applying the updated Schengen visa rules. Among others, the new rules include the increase of the Schengen visa fee from €60 to €80. If the visa facilitation plan is signed after the new rules start applying, the fee will be decreased to €40 instead of €35.

The former Soviet Republic of Belarus remains one of the few remaining European countries that are still required to apply for and get a Schengen visa to enter the Schengen Area. The negotiations on visa facilitation for Belarus citizens have started almost five years ago, in January 2014.