Germany closes consulate general in Russia's Kaliningrad

KALININGRAD. Nov 30 (Interfax) - The German consulate general in Kaliningrad has announced its closure in a statement on its website.

"The consulate general in Kaliningrad will close on November 30, 2023. Regarding consular and passport issues [...], please contact the consulate general in St. Petersburg. All visa applications should be addressed exclusively to the visa section of the German embassy in Moscow," the statement said.

The German consulate general closed amid heavy transit of German citizens into Russia through Kaliningrad. Former citizens of Russia and CIS members arrive in the Russian region by car and bus to fly from Kaliningrad to the home cities of their relatives and acquaintances.

Residents of Germany also actively buy homes in the Kaliningrad region, especially on the Baltic Sea coast. They have to register homes and land to their kin because of Russian laws.

The German consulate general in Kaliningrad opened in February 2004. It first had a temporary residence, and then Germany bought and repaired a large building on Ernst Thalmann Street in an old city district.