Ukraine extends visa-on-arrival policy for Chinese citizens

KIEV, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- The Ukrainian government said on Tuesday it decided to extend the visa-on-arrival policy for Chinese citizens, which expired on Sept. 30. "This decision will contribute to a significant intensification of bilateral relations with China, which is currently one of the important trading partners of Ukraine," the government said in a statement. The new travel regime, which took effect on Oct. 1, will boost Ukraine's tourism industry and help the East European country attract overseas investment, the statement said. It, however, gave no details on the expiration date of the fresh eased visa issuing rules. According to the new rules, Chinese visitors could be issued visa on arrival not only at the Boryspil International Airport in Kiev, but also at the airport of Ukraine's southern Black Sea resort of Odessa. As before, Chinese citizens can obtain 15-day Ukrainian entry visas upon their arrival if they have a document confirming the business or tourist purpose of the visit. The visa fee is about 100 U.S. dollars. Ukraine has launched a pilot project to issue visas on arrival for Chinese citizens at the Boryspil airport in June.