New Rules Take Roots
French Embassy issued about 19,000 biometric visas last year
The first biometric visa was issued in April 2005. Ambassador Stephane Chmelewsky noted that Belarus had been chosen one of the first countries to introduce biometric visas not accidentally, the key reason being the high level of education and awareness of Belarusian people. The ambassador added that all applicants managed to cope with the electronic system of arranging appointments in the embassy irrespective of their age. The system was introduced about two months ago. French diplomats were surprised to learn that even elderly Belarusians dealing with information technologies for the first time had no problems with arranging meetings in the embassy using computer programs.
