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Libyan citizens can now head to the Maltese Embassy in Tripoli in order to require visa services, as the latter will start processing visa applications.

The Maltese Embassy has signed a contract with VFS Global to ease the visa application process and will start issuing visas at the end of this month, according to Libyan news media, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

However, due to the current COVID-19 situation, the visas will be granted only for essential travel, and following the EU Council recommendations for business, medical and educational purposes, the reunion of family members, or other similar reasons.

Travellers are also urged to follow strict health restrictions on travel amid the ongoing pandemic.

In December 2020, Malta agreed to start issuing Schengen visas from the visa application centre in Tripoli. Such an announcement came after a visit to Tripoli by Finance Minister Clyde Caruana. He met Former Libyan PM Ahmed Maiteeq, Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha, and Transport Minister Milad Maitouq.

Back then ministry stressed that various topics of mutual interest for both countries were discussed, amongst them; air connection between Malta and Libya, the resumption of Air Malta flights to and from Libya, the training of Libyan public sector employees in Malta, as well as investment between the two countries.

Previously, the Prime Minister of Libya, Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, sought more support from Maltas government in order to ease the travel process within both territories.

In April, it was reported by Libyan media that the flights between both countries would resume within days.

Back then, it was reported that both countries reached an agreement in order to ease the visa procedures for Lybian citizens who would be able to obtain a visa from Libyas capital.

However, the COVID-19 situation provoked a decrease in the number of Schengen Visas issued worldwide, as Schengen countries temporarily suspended the issuance of visas in a bid to stop the spread of the virus and its new strains.

SchengenVisaInfo.com previously reported that in 2019, nearly 17 million people from third countries applied for a visa in order to reach Schengen Zone countries, while in 2020, the number of visas issued was under three million (2,924,365).

Despite the 82.7 per cent decrease recorded in the number of applications, the rate of visa denials also increased from 9.9 worldwide in 2019 to 13.6 per cent in 2020.

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Malta's Embassy in Libya to Start Processing Travel Visas at the End of August - SchengenVisaInfo.com - SchengenVisaInfo.com