Getting a Schengen visa will become more difficult and expensive

The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the EU countries at a meeting in Prague discussed the possibility of introducing a ban on the issuance of Schengen visas to residents of Russia. We agreed on a compromise solution – to suspend the preferential visa regime between the EU and our country, which has been in force since 2007.

The President of the European Parliament Josep Borrell announced the decision.

“We have made a political decision to completely suspend the visa facilitation agreement with Russia. This means that the number of visas issued will significantly decrease, it will be more difficult and longer to obtain visas,” Borrell is quoted as saying. TASS.

It is not yet known when the preferential visa regime with Russia will be suspended. But it is possible that this may happen in the near future.

How the complicated visa regime will affect the ability of Russians to get to Europe was explained in the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR).

Firstly, the amount of the visa fee will increase: from 35 to 80 euros. Secondly, when applying for a Schengen visa, additional documents may be required. Thirdly, the terms for obtaining a visa will increase – from 10-30 days to six months. And fourthly, few people will be able to count on long-term visas.

“Long-term and multiple-entry Schengen visas for Russians will become much less, or they will not exist at all. A one-time Schengen issued strictly for the dates of the trip – this will be the typical and most common scheme, ”ATOR noted.

In addition, as Portuguese Foreign Minister João Gomes Cravinho said, the EU will develop measures to allow EU countries to make independent decisions on issuing visas to Russians. But this just has not only negative, but also positive points.

As for Poland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which advocated the complete abolition of the issuance of visas to citizens of the Russian Federation, these countries are likely to create all conditions in order to complicate the entry of Russians into their territory.

But the EU member states that opposed the ban, including Germany, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, Greece and Cyprus, can, on the contrary, meet tourists from Russia and, for example, if they refuse to receive a Schengen visa, issue their national visas.

Alena Bodrienko.

Photo by Moskovskaya Pravda