Schengen under the new rules: how visas are issued to EU countries now

A month and a half ago, the EU suspended the agreement on a simplified regime for issuing visas to the Russian Federation. Is it possible to get a Schengen now, how long does it take and who is most often denied, said the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR).

Since September 12, citizens of the Russian Federation receive Schengen visas under the general conditions of the EU Visa Code. And now we can already say that basically the fears associated with the fact that it will become much more difficult to obtain a visa have not materialized.

According to ATOR with reference to several large Russian tour operators, the terms for issuing Schengen visas have increased, but not significantly. On average, visa processing takes 2-3 weeks. After submitting documents to the consulate, you can get a visa to France in 10 days, to Greece – in two weeks, and issuing a visa to Spain, Italy, Hungary or Austria takes about three weeks.

The timing of obtaining a visa is mainly affected by the availability of free tracks in the visa centers. But the farther, the easier it becomes to find a free window for submitting documents to the visa center. Mainly due to the fact that there are fewer and fewer Russians who want to apply for a Schengen. Tour operators attribute this, first of all, to the tightening of requirements for the package of documents that are submitted to the visa center, as well as the difficulty or impossibility of traveling to European countries previously popular with Russian tourists.

Of the negative forecasts that have come true, there is a significant decrease in the issuance of Schengen visas for a long period.

It is noted that sometimes even those who used to travel a lot and often in Europe and had a multi-visa for six months or more cannot sometimes get a visa for more than a month. But with short-term visas, problems usually do not arise.

“Today, single-entry visas for travel dates are issued by the consulates of Austria, Greece and Hungary. The Spanish consulate previously issued visas for at least 3-6 months, but now it is a Schengen visa with a maximum validity of 1 month,” ATOR said.

So now you can get a visa for a year or five years only at the French consulate. This country, like Italy, Spain and Hungary, remain relatively loyal to Russian tourists.

With regard to refusals to issue a visa, the main reason is the lack of funds in the applicant’s accounts. Tour operators recommend when submitting documents to attach certificates from banks confirming the presence of at least 300 thousand rubles in a bank account.

And obtaining a visa to Germany or Slovenia is further complicated by the fact that its registration requires a health insurance issued in the EU, in addition, to obtain a German Schengen visa, you must have an account with a bank that operates in the EU.

In general, planning a trip to Germany or Slovenia now is not the best solution. Moreover, even having a Schengen visa does not guarantee that you will be allowed to enter the country.

Alena Bodrienko.

Photo: license Creative Commons