Spain has become a tourist paradise for Russians

The Spanish authorities continue to be the leader in issuing Schengen visas in Russia, as recently published statistics show. In 2022, a quarter of all documents issued to Russian were Spanish: 154 450 visas out of 603 955.

Some other Schengen countries in 2022 also issued a large number of permits to Russians, and among the leaders, in addition to Spain, were the following states:

Finland – 105 323 visas. This is 7,4 times less than in 2019 (782 173 applications),
Italy – 103 099 visas. This is 5,3 times less than in 2019 (548 057 applications),
Greece – 61 840 visas, which is almost 6,6 times less than in 2019 (407 339 applications),
France – 55 285 visas. This is almost 8,7 times less than in 2019 (480 968 applications),
Germany – 38 809 visas. This is almost 8,4 times less than in 2019 (325 754 applications),
Hungary – 25 081 visas. This is almost 2,8 times less than in 2019 (69 749 applications).
Best Schengen Visa Options are from Hungary, Italy and Greece.

Against the background of these statistics, the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) recommended that Russian travelers apply for Schengen visas at the consulates of Hungary, Greece and Italy, considering them as the best options for Schengen approval. The leader in this trio, of course, is Hungary - Russian travelers praise the loyal visa policy of this country.

In total, the Schengen Consulates and Visa Application Centers in Russia accepted and processed 687 239 applications, of which 603 955 were approved. In 2022, the total number of Schengen visas applied worldwide decreased by 55% compared to 2019 and amounted to 7 572 755.