It is almost impossible to make an appointment to submit documents to the visa centers of France and Italy, Izvestia found out.
On May 26, it was not possible to sign up for the submission of documents in any of the visa centers of France, Izvestia found out. When you try to register in the system, the message “There are no free seats” appears. Tour operators have also confirmed the problem.
“France accepts documents, “multi” issues visas, so they are in great demand. But it’s really almost impossible to sign up for the submission of documents – few slots are allocated, and bots immediately grab them, ”Izvestia was told in the press service of the Russian Express tour operator.
The queue for applying for a visa to France is now until the end of August, said Alexan Mkrtchyan, Vice President of the Alliance of Russian Travel Agencies (ATA).
“At the same time, on May 25, Italy closed the acceptance for submission of documents from those Russians who have not yet paid the consular fee. This is due to the fact that Intesa Bank is temporarily unable to accept payments for the payment of the fee. And the consulate does not have a second partner bank,” the ATA President said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry warned about the difficulties in obtaining tourist and other visas to the UK. The problem here is the payment of the consular fee – it cannot be made with Visa or Mastercard bank cards issued in Russia, since the transaction takes place on a British site. It is also not possible to pay the fee in cash.
At the same time, Russians can easily apply for visas to Greece, Hungary, Slovenia – these countries issue one-time “Schengen” for the duration of the trip, noted in the “Russian Express”. Spain began accepting applications for tourist visas from Russians from May 24, the next entry is on June 7.
On the positive side, European countries are now lifting covid restrictions one by one: neither vaccination certificates nor PCR tests are needed. France, Italy, Belgium, Germany canceled all requirements in general, Spain can be visited with PCR, Alexan Mkrtchyan said.
It is now impossible to pay with bank cards abroad, but you can buy cash dollars and euros in Russia.