The Italian Embassy reported fears due to the migration of Russians to the Apennines

Recently, the Russian Foreign Ministry expressed concern that the EU countries have minimized the issuance of multiple Schengen visas for Russian citizens, and some of them began to put forward “obviously impossible conditions” for obtaining entry permits for Russians. After that, experts in the travel industry told MK that, in fact, things are not so bad: out of 27 Schengen countries, 17 continue to issue visas to Russians, although the cost of issuing them has increased and the processing time for applications has increased from 15 to 45 days. “MK” found out from the staff of the Italian Embassy in Moscow how they have changed the procedure for issuing visas to our citizens, and what they are now paying attention to.

Recall that among the “impossible conditions” for Russians to obtain visas, Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Yevgeny Ivanov, in particular, attributed “the requirement to pay visa fees through Western banks or present a medical insurance policy of a foreign insurer.” As experts explained to MK, we are talking about three countries – Germany, Slovenia and Malta, which now require medical insurance from a foreign insurer, which means that it is almost impossible for our tourists to get there.

However, most of the leaders of the domestic tourism industry assured us that Spain, Italy, Greece and France remain the most loyal countries to the citizens of the Russian Federation in terms of issuing visas to them.

Indeed, as MK found out, despite all the difficulties, the number of visas issued, for example, by Italy to Russian citizens in Moscow (Italy also issues visas in St. Petersburg) in 2022 was even more than in 2021 and 2020: 89897 in 2022, 58588 in 2021 and 87863 in 2020.

– We are sure that the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Ivanov did not mean Italy when he spoke about the impracticable conditions for obtaining a visa, – a spokesman for the press service of the Italian Embassy in Moscow told MK. – In fact, we evaluate visa applications according to the same criteria as before, and are regulated by the Visa Code.

At the same time, the embassy noted that now they are especially carefully checking the intention of a Russian citizen who applies for a visa to return to Russia after the visa expires. According to the Italian side, in the current realities there is an “increased migration risk.”

“The number of Russian citizens who intend to move abroad for permanent residence is higher than before,” we were told. – Therefore, we pay more attention to finding out the actual financial means available, as well as the actual purpose of the trip and the readiness to return to Russia (for example, for young people of military age or people who do not have specific ties with Italy, or are applying for a visa for the first time).

The representative of the press service of the embassy also noted that now there are other problems that need to be taken into account. In addition to “increased migration risk”, these are, for example, difficulties with international payments and the use of Russian credit cards.

As before, when applying for a visa, the correctness and authenticity of the documents are checked: “Submission of false documents entails refusal to accept the application.”

“We are still far from the figures for 2019, but the reasons are simple and trivial,” the Italian embassy continued. – On the one hand, this is the increased complexity of travel for Russians, on the other hand, consulates are experiencing a serious shortage of staff. In May 2022, three chief employees of the Consulate General in Moscow were expelled from the country, who ensured the entire process of issuing visas. It took time to find a replacement and obtain permits. Not all positions were suitable candidates and not all permissions were received from the Russian authorities: officials appointed to the positions of consul in St. Petersburg and head of the visa department in Moscow did not receive permission from the Russian authorities. That is, one of the main reasons why Italy does not issue visas in the same amount as it was in 2019 is that there are not enough employees for this, and when they were found, in some cases they did not receive visas from Russian authorities.

As MK previously wrote, director of the Alliance of Travel Agencies Association Natalya Osipova recommended now to apply for a visa six months before the trip. As for Italy, as we found out from knowledgeable people, they also do not issue visas quickly: documents should be submitted one, and preferably two months before the date of entry into the country. The consular fee for Russian citizens is now 80 euros. So it’s quite possible for Russians to get to Italy even now, unless, of course, you prove that you don’t want to stay there after the visa expires.