Italy offering fastest Schengen visa processing for Russians, tour operators reveal

Rome: Tour operators have said that Italy has the fastest visa processing time and shortest appointment waiting time for Russians.

Other popular countries among Russians have longer waiting times and fewer appointments available for March.

Operators complained about Schengen countries granting visas with a short validity period.

With the spring and summer months approaching, it is expected that a larger number of Russian nationals will make travel plans to the Schengen Area and apply for visas.

Data show that currently, Russians can get a Schengen visa in Moscow within the same timeframe as in the pre-pandemic period. However, there are some member states that have a shorter waiting period than others, making them more popular among Russian visa applicants, Schengen.News reports.

According to tour operators, Italy offers the fastest Schengen visa processing and has the shortest waiting time for an appointment slot during the off-season period.

Experts from BSI Group said that available appointments at the Italian visa centre in Moscow can be found within seven to ten days in advance. The same noted that lately, visas from the Italian authorities are being issued around two to three weeks after the applicants have undergone the interview and submitted biometric information.

This means that an Italian visa in Moscow can be obtained in less than a month, making it popular among Russian visa applicants.

As the experts noted, there are available slots for an Italian visa for March and there are no problems in obtaining a Schengen visa from this EU country.

In general, the Schengen situation at the beginning of February differs little from what was observed at the end of December 2024. All consulates have entered a relatively working schedule.

While Italy offers the fastest visa processing and the shortest waiting time for an appointment, a number of other countries continue to remain popular among Russian visa applicants.

France, Spain, Hungary, and Greece are part of the list of most popular countries for obtaining Schengen visas, despite them taking longer to process visas in the off-season, the Association of Tour Operators explains.

According to the PAC Group, it is more difficult to apply for a Schengen visa at the visa centres of France and Spain.

As the group notes, applicants need to “catch” an appointment for these two countries, with slots being made available only from time to time.

BSI Group said that France does not have any available visa appointment slots in Moscow until the end of March. As for the processing time, it explained that it stands the same as that of Italy, with the applicants receiving a response within two to three weeks after their interview.

On the other hand, it said that visa appointments for a Spanish visa will be made available in the upcoming days.

As for the Greek visa centre in Moscow, BSI Group noted that it has only four available slots per day.

Even though Russians are able to obtain Schengen visas within the same timeframe as during the pre-pandemic times, tour operators complained about Schengen countries granting visas with a short validity period.

According to the tour operators, France is granting visas to Russians with a validity period of mostly six months, Spain is granting visas with a validity of one to three months, and Greece and Hungary are granting visas mainly for the dates of planned stay in the countries.

Taking this into account, tour operators said that the algorithm is unclear and that this is causing financial losses for Russian nationals.

No matter how many visas a tourist has had before, short-term or long-term, it is impossible to predict for how long they will be given a Schengen visa. The algorithm is unclear. After a one-year or two-year visa, tourists receive a visa for six months. It’s a shame. In six months, they will have to spend time and money again to get a Schengen visa.

The tour operators further advised all Russians who plan on visiting the bloc in the next months to begin planning ahead of time as the demand will increase with the approach of the high season.