In 2025 Russians continue to face difficulties travelling around Europe. You cannot visit Spain or other EU countries without a visa. Some countries do not allow Russian citizens to enter directly from Russia. Norway, for example, does not allow direct entry for Russian tourists. You can still visit such countries, but you will have to enter from another Schengen member state.
How can you get to Europe now? Where is it harder and where easier to get a visa? What application conditions apply to Russians? We answer each of these questions in this article. Clear instructions will help you prepare the necessary documents, find out the costs and improve your chances of a positive decision.
The Schengen visa – what it is
The single Schengen visa allows you to stay in the area covered by the Schengen Agreement, which came into being in 1985. Since the agreement was signed by several countries, passport and visa checks at borders have become much simpler. Originally the official list included 5 countries; now there are 29.
A visa gives people certain rights that allow them to enter the Schengen area. Foreigners may stay within its borders while the permit is valid. Tourists may move freely between the member countries without obtaining any other type of visa. Free movement does not remove the stay limit: you can live in the area for more than 90 days in a six-month period only on a national visa or a residence card, and that is where moving to Spain as a procedure begins.
A separate issue is how to prove the actual date of entry from which these 90 days are counted. If you enter from another Schengen country there will be no stamp in your passport, and you will have to record the date yourself — by filing a declaración de entrada (declaration of entry) within three days of arrival.
How to apply
To apply for a visa, you should use reputable organisations that provide such services. You need to gather a set of documents for the trip; the current list can be found on the consulate’s website.
Once everything is ready, fill in the application form correctly, pay the fee and take out medical insurance. In Russia you can apply yourself or through a visa centre. In another country you can fill in the form at the consulate or go to the embassy.
How long it takes
The time needed to prepare and issue the permit depends on where you apply. You should allow at least three months, but people often have to wait more than six months for a positive decision. Some tourists receive a visa within 3–4 weeks of submitting their application.
You cannot get the permit urgently for an extra fee, because there is no way to reduce the flow of applications. You definitely will not be issued the document quickly. It is important to submit correctly prepared documents from the start, otherwise you will be refused.
Documents
Forgetting a single document is enough to get a refusal. Gather all the paperwork that affects the decision.
The document package includes:
- an application form filled in with accurate and up-to-date information;
- two photographs taken at a photo studio;
- your international passport and copies of all pages with stamps from the last 3 years;
- the original and copies of any old international passport you still have;
- your home-country (internal) passport with photocopies;
- travel insurance valid in all Schengen countries;
- return tickets via countries open to Russians;
- statements showing transactions on your accounts over the last three months;
- a letter from your employer showing your income;
- a document confirming payment for a hotel or apartment booking;
- the consular fee;
- the visa centre fee.
The list may change, so before submitting your application it is best to check the current requirements on the consulate’s website. You can also get advice at a convenient visa centre.
Where the Schengen visa is valid
The Schengen area brings together 29 countries that have abolished border controls between them. Austria, Hungary, Spain and other countries admit people travelling around Schengen territory without additional permits.
In 2025 the European Commission intends to launch a special electronic system for authorising and storing travel data on people from non-EU countries. Information about arriving foreigners will be held in a single electronic database. The purpose of ETIAS is to collect data on tourists and identify lawbreakers in order to protect European citizens. So do not break local laws, or you could permanently lose the ability to travel in Europe.
Types of Schengen visas
Several types of Schengen visa are available to tourists, differing in validity and the conditions of stay. Each type has requirements, and if you do not meet them you will certainly be refused.
The following types are available:
- Transit. A category A visa only allows a person to stay in the transit zone of a foreign airport. Leaving the zone with such a permit is not allowed. For Russians this is no idle detail: there are no direct flights, and almost any route involves a connection — which connections currently work is covered in our article on how to get to Spain from Russia.
- Short-stay. A type C visa allows you to stay 90 days in any 6-month period. You can enter the territory several times. The permit can be valid for up to 5 years.
- National. Category D allows you to live in the Schengen area for a set period in order to run a business, work or study.
- Category D is already an application for residence: it is issued on a specific ground and exchanged for a residence card on arrival. The list of grounds is collected in our overview of residence permits in Spain.
The permit is chosen according to the purpose of your visit. For example, education requires a D visa, while a holiday calls for type C. If your destination is Spain, the application procedure, timelines and typical refusals are covered separately in our article on the Spanish visa.
How much it costs
You cannot get a visa for free, so it is worth estimating the approximate costs in advance. You can obtain the permit yourself, paying only the service and consular fees of 90 euros. For children aged 6 to 12 the fee is lower – 45 euros.
Preparing and submitting an application without help is difficult, so many people turn to visa centres. The cost of their services depends on the organisation’s rates. Help usually costs more than 40 euros. Going through a travel agency is more expensive – many charge up to 150 euros. At today’s exchange rate you will pay intermediaries between RUB 3,700 and RUB 14,000.
Intermediaries help prepare the file and avoid mistakes. This improves the chances of approval and saves time gathering documents. When a visa is issued, both the applicant’s details and compliance with the application requirements are checked. People are often refused because of an incorrectly completed form, a missing apostille and other shortcomings.
How to improve your chances
You can improve your chances of a positive decision by following some simple tips. The likelihood of approval increases with:
- Annual medical insurance. Calculated per day, such a policy is cheaper than short-term cover.
- The policy must cover at least 30,000 euros and be valid in all countries of the area — how the market works and what is covered is explained in our article on insurance in Spain.
- An extract from the EGRN (the Russian property register). You can also provide a certificate confirming your ownership of property.
- An international passport with stamps from travel to other countries. In addition to your current passport, you need copies of an expired international passport if it contains entry stamps for other countries. This confirms your good record as a traveller.
- No contradictions. The application must not contain contradictory facts that could affect the visa decision.
- Timely preparation. It is best to prepare the documents and submit the application well in advance so that you receive the permit before your departure date.
- Applying to the country where you plan to spend the most time. Do not try to get a visa from the country with the highest approval rate if you are not going to spend most of your time there.
You can improve your chances of getting a permit to stay in the Schengen area. Just follow our tips to reduce the risk of refusal.
Which country is easiest to get it from
It is easier to get approval through the visa centres of Greece, Hungary, Italy and France. You just need to find a free appointment so that you receive an answer within two months. Here is more about each country.
Bear in mind the specifics of each country:
- Hungary. Open booking lets tourists submit applications if they want to travel around Schengen. Visas are issued for the duration of the trip, so you need to provide paid tickets.
- Greece. The country receives many applications, which leads to delays in issuing documents. The lack of direct flights makes the journey more complicated, as you can only reach the border with connections.
- France. The large number of applications affects processing times – you have to wait at least a month.
- Spain. Appointments run out quickly, so you need to keep checking for free slots. Half of all visas are issued at the Moscow centre, which makes applying easier.
- Italy. Free appointments are hard to get: you have to monitor released slots constantly.
You can choose any suitable country to get your visa approved.
Why you may be refused
You can be refused for various reasons, and understanding them will help reduce the risks. A negative decision is given in the following cases:
- your international passport expires less than 6 months after you return home;
- no proof of sufficient income;
- your intentions do not match those stated in the application form;
- on a previous short-stay visa the person stayed in the Schengen area for more than 3 months in six months;
- the traveller is on a blacklist;
- the officer decided the person poses a security threat;
- there is no information about the route or means of travel;
- nothing ties the person to their home country, so they might stay in the destination country illegally.
What to do if you are refused
Applicants are often refused after providing inaccurate information or for other reasons. What to do next depends on the reason.
In a refusal the consulate states the reason using the standard form in Annex VI of the EU Visa Code (Regulation 810/2009): for example, incomplete documents, an unproven purpose of travel, insufficient funds or doubts about your intention to return. A refusal in itself does not mean an entry ban: you can reapply after correcting what the form points to, or appeal the decision — the appeal procedure and deadline are stated in the refusal itself.
Can you get a Schengen visa with a criminal record?
The Visa Code contains no specific ban for people with a criminal record. A visa is refused if the applicant is considered a threat to public policy or internal security, in particular if Schengen databases contain an entry ban (Article 32). The decision is made case by case: what matters is the nature and age of the conviction and whether there is an entry ban.
Anyone can travel around the Schengen area: you just need the right permit. A Schengen visa lets you visit any country that has signed the agreement. With the stamp, foreigners can move freely around Europe, explore local culture and even study.
