The PCT confirmed the presence of fraudulent bots for recording in visa centers

In Russia, there are companies that are engaged in “blocking records for filing documents” for issuing Schengen visas using bots. About this in a conversation with TASS informed Vice-President of the Russian Union of Travel Industry (PCT) Dmitry Gorin.

According to him, this “creates inconvenience, first of all, for applicants, since free time is not always available.” He noted that the high demand for registration at the visa centers is associated with the expiration of multiple-entry visas after the pandemic, as well as the need to submit biometric data every five years. In this regard, Gorin recommended registering at visa centers six months before the intended trip.

Earlier, the Kommersant newspaper, citing participants in the tourism market informedthat the registration for the submission of documents for obtaining a visa was complicated due to the actions of scammers who, with the help of bots, book all free slots in the visa centers. As a result, these companies offer tourists to buy a convenient time, the cost of recording can be up to 7,500 rubles.

According to Gorin, Schengen visas are still issued by 17 of the 27 EU member states. Against the backdrop of the start of Russia’s special operation in Ukraine, a number of European countries, including the Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, have suspended the issuance of Schengen visas to Russians. In addition, from September 12, 2022, the European Union suspended a simplified visa regime with Russia, due to which the fee increased from €35 to €80, and the period for processing applications increased from 15 to 45 days.