Russian tourists face various difficulties in obtaining a Schengen visa, and even if they have a visa, there are no guarantees that a Russian will be allowed into the country. This was announced on February 20 by the executive director of the Alliance of Travel Agencies Natalia Osipova during a press conference at the Izvestia Information Center.
So, according to the expert, the Russians are experiencing difficulties when signing up for the submission of documents, since these slots are booked by special bots.
“We need to calculate somewhere in half a year, so that there is an opportunity to get this window for submitting documents and then wait for a visa. <...> At the same time, even with a visa, it is not a fact that the country will let the Russians in, there have also been such cases, of course, organized tourism is not involved in this. And we always turn to tourists so that they understand all the risks, ”Osipova said.
Yury Barzykin, vice-president of the Russian Union of Travel Industry, clarified that it is possible to obtain Schengen visas, but this process has become much more difficult due to numerous restrictions. In addition, as a rule, these visas are single and are valid only for the period of the trip.
“But today, tourism flows to the Schengen countries are not generated, because there is no transport logistics, direct communication, there is a high degree of uncertainty, the consular and diplomatic apparatus has been reduced on both sides. This all increases the risks and the impossibility of providing legal assistance, ”the specialist warned.
Given all these risks, it is not recommended to choose these countries for tourism purposes, Barzykin concluded.
On February 14, Alexan Mkrtchyan, vice-president of the Alliance of Travel Agencies of Russia, director of the Pink Elephant travel agency network, listed the countries with the most affordable Schengen visas for Russians. According to him, Spain, Italy, Hungary, Greece, and France are more willing to issue visas to Russians. He also warned that a bad set of documents could lead to a rejection of a Schengen application.
A day earlier, it was reported that the attackers were using bots to book free slots on the websites of the visa centers, and then sell the slots at inflated prices. People faced such a problem when applying at the visa centers of France, Italy and Spain in Moscow.
