During the summer holiday season, Russians faced difficulties in obtaining Schengen visas through the visa centers of European countries popular with tourists: according to travel agencies interviewed by RBC, there are no free windows in the visa centers of France, Greece and Spain in July for making an appointment to submit documents.
The Spanish Visa Application Center offers about 500-600 places per day, which are divided into several visa centers throughout Russia. The nearest windows for submitting documents through the visa center of France are only for August.
At the same time, Russians cannot even submit documents in priority order for an additional fee, as was the case before.
Some consulates warn that Russians who have already submitted all the necessary documents may face delays in processing applications and returning passports.
Russian passport holders are more cut off from the rest of the world than ever before, as sanctions, travel bans, and airspace closures limit Russian citizens from accessing all but a few destinations in Asia and the Middle East.
