A quarter of visas received by Russians in 2022 were issued by the Spanish authorities

The cancellation by the EU countries of the visa facilitation agreement with Russia in 2022, including an increase of the visa fee for Russian applicants from 35 to 80 Euros, in fact did not have a significant impact on discouraging Russians from relaxing in Spain.

While the number of visas issued to Russians has fallen sharply, Spain remains the leading country in issuing Schengen visas in Russia.

According to recently released statistics on the issuance of Schengen visas, a quarter of the visas received by Russian passport holders in 2022 were issued by the Spanish authorities. In numbers, it looks like this: 154 450 out of 603 955 Schengen issued.

Other Schengen countries that issued a large number of visas to Russians in 2022 were:

Finland – 105 323 (782 173 in 2019),
Italy – 103 099 (548 057),
Greece – 61 840 (407 339),
France – 55 285 (480 968),
Germany – 38 809 (325 754),
Hungary – 25 081 (69 749).

In accordance with these data, the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) issued recommendations for tourists to apply for Schengen visas at the consular offices of Hungary, Greece and Italy, naming these countries as the best options for obtaining a visa.

In general, the consulates of the Schengen countries and visa centers in Russian cities accepted and processed 687 239 applications, 603 955 of which were approved.

In 2022, Russians received more than 600 thousand Schengen visas, 60% of them at the consulates of Finland, Italy and Spain.