Russian tour operators warn that the share of multiple-entry Schengen visas granted to their clients has plunged by at least 90 percent compared with early 2025, according to data published on 13 June by business agency AK&M. Italy, France and Spain remain the most sought-after destinations, yet applicants now face month-long appointment backlogs in Moscow and five-week waits in regional centres.
![Schengen multivisa approvals for Russians collapse 90 percent; Italy booking queues lengthen]()
Travellers frustrated by those queues might consider using an accredited visa-processing service: VisaHQ, for example, pre-screens paperwork, monitors open slots at Italian consulates and can sometimes secure earlier appointments through its dedicated portal (https://www.visahq.com/italy/), helping applicants sidestep much of the current scheduling chaos.
Consulates appear to be issuing mostly single-entry or—at best—double-entry visas valid strictly for the travel dates. Industry insiders say consular staff are under informal pressure to minimise long-validity stickers while political tensions over Ukraine persist. The policy shift is prompting tour companies to redirect clients toward Greece and Hungary, where appointments are faster and processing times as low as ten days. For Italian inbound operators the trend is double-edged: on the one hand, fewer Russians are securing the year-long visas favoured by repeat luxury shoppers, potentially reducing high-spend arrivals. On the other, Italy’s relative “visa availability” compared with France or Spain could win last-minute summer bookings—provided applicants can secure slots before July. Corporate-mobility teams relocating Russian specialists to Italian plants report that single-entry limitations complicate management of Schengen-internal travel for meetings in France or Germany. Experts recommend applying for Italy’s national work visa (visto D) where possible, sidestepping Schengen caps and enabling multi-entry permits of up to two years. Stakeholders expect the squeeze on multivisa grants to continue at least through the first quarter of 2027, when the EU’s new ETIAS travel authorisation for visa-exempt nationals will draw political attention away from the standard visa code.
Travellers frustrated by those queues might consider using an accredited visa-processing service: VisaHQ, for example, pre-screens paperwork, monitors open slots at Italian consulates and can sometimes secure earlier appointments through its dedicated portal (https://www.visahq.com/italy/), helping applicants sidestep much of the current scheduling chaos.
Consulates appear to be issuing mostly single-entry or—at best—double-entry visas valid strictly for the travel dates. Industry insiders say consular staff are under informal pressure to minimise long-validity stickers while political tensions over Ukraine persist. The policy shift is prompting tour companies to redirect clients toward Greece and Hungary, where appointments are faster and processing times as low as ten days. For Italian inbound operators the trend is double-edged: on the one hand, fewer Russians are securing the year-long visas favoured by repeat luxury shoppers, potentially reducing high-spend arrivals. On the other, Italy’s relative “visa availability” compared with France or Spain could win last-minute summer bookings—provided applicants can secure slots before July. Corporate-mobility teams relocating Russian specialists to Italian plants report that single-entry limitations complicate management of Schengen-internal travel for meetings in France or Germany. Experts recommend applying for Italy’s national work visa (visto D) where possible, sidestepping Schengen caps and enabling multi-entry permits of up to two years. Stakeholders expect the squeeze on multivisa grants to continue at least through the first quarter of 2027, when the EU’s new ETIAS travel authorisation for visa-exempt nationals will draw political attention away from the standard visa code.
