ITO, Netherlands sign visa agreement

ISTANBUL - Anatolia News Agency

The Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ITO) signed yesterday a visa facilitation agreement with the Netherlands to ease problems regarding the Schengen visa.

The Schengen visa is one of the biggest obstacles in front of Turkish businessmen doing business with European countries.

As an effort to ease problems faced by Turkish businessmen when trying to receive a business visas as well as a waiting period that can last for days, ITO and the Consulate General of Holland in Istanbul signed this agreement yesterday.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, ITO Executive Board Chairman Murat Yalçıntaş said, “With this agreement, our members will receive a certificate from us and then after the consulate general does its own research they will get a multi entrance one to five-year business visa.”

 Yalçıntaş also added that Turkey is one of Holland’s most popular destinations for investments and that therefore it is a necessity to be able to receive business visas.

Moreover, Dutch Consul General Onno Kervers said that economic relations between Turkey and Holland are rapidly improving and that between 2001 and 2011 the bilateral trade volume rose to $6 billion from $2 billion.

Kervers, added that by signing this agreement, relations and trade between both countries will expand.