If you decide to go to Europe, but are worried about obtaining a Schengen visa, then it is recommended to choose countries for travel that are loyal to foreign citizens. These states adhere to certain policies towards travelers, and therefore it is easier to obtain a Schengen visa in them.
Complete list of Schengen countries
Schengen countries that may rarely refuse entry permits in 2021 include:
- France. The country previously issued visas with multiple entry rights to cross the border for 5 years.
- Italy. The state issues permits to cross the border in almost all cases. However, it is recommended to apply for a visa as early as possible, otherwise you may not be able to receive it in time.
- Spain. This country readily issues visas to tourists. Spain does not pay much attention to traveler entry bans that have been introduced by other Schengen countries.
- Slovakia. This state rarely refuses to issue travel permits to Russians. However, the authorities pay great attention to the number of days spent in the country, so being late and exceeding the period of stay is not recommended.
Castle on a mountain lake in Slovakia
- Greece. Applying for a visa to this country is carried out in stages. This is precisely where its most important feature lies.
- Finland. This state is especially loyal to travelers from St. Petersburg. That is why it is easy to explain such a flow of tourists from the city on the Neva abroad.
In June 2021, the EU Council approved uniform rules for issuing multiple-entry visas for all Schengen countries. To obtain a visa for 5 years at once, you must first correctly use at least 3 single-entry visas over the last 2 years. After this, a multivisa is issued for 1 year, and after its correct use - for 2 years, and only then can you request a 5-year multivisa.
However, in the consulates of the above countries, despite the innovations, Schengen registration is quite simple. To find out which country is easier to obtain a Schengen visa for, it is recommended to consider each state separately.
Obtaining permission to visit France
Today France is one of the loyal states in terms of issuing visas. For many years in a row, the country's embassy located in Moscow, before the innovation, was engaged in processing and issuing multivisas, the validity period of which is 3 years and 5 years. The next advantage is that you only need to collect all the necessary documents once: once to make your first trip.
Among the documents that will need to be submitted in order to simply get a Schengen visa are both an application and a questionnaire. In it:
- In the line where you need to indicate the number of entries into the state, you must o;
- In the “Residence period” section you need to put 90 days;
- And it is necessary to indicate France as the state of the first place of entry.
To apply for a multiple visa, a previously issued Schengen visa of any category will be sufficient.
Tip: After receiving a multiple-entry French visa, it is recommended to travel to the country for a full period. If 90 days were noted in the “Duration of stay” line, then in order to obtain a long-term visa in the future, you need to visit the country as often as possible. It is also recommended to give preference to short trips.
The first Schengen on your own is the path to freedom
I think there is no need to write much about the advantages of a long Schengen period. In addition to significant financial savings (which is about 3,500 rubles per person), you also save time and gain mobility. For example, you saw a cheap last minute tour or favorable tickets and nothing prevents you from buying them. One of the key advantages of Schengen is the opportunity to visit different countries with one visa. If your passport contains a visa from one of the Schengen countries, then you can go to another Schengen country without thinking about visa difficulties.
Later, we began to plan to obtain Schengen visas to suit our travel schedules. It’s a shame to visit Europe only once on a six-month visa. That first time I applied for Schengen, I didn’t even think about the fact that a visa can be issued for one country and then used for other trips. However, we succeeded. Using the Spanish visa we received for a long stay, we also went to Greece in May.
I had the experience of obtaining a visa to Spain on my own, and I realized that it was not scary at all. The main thing is to read everything carefully. After all, the rules sometimes change. For example, not long ago the Schengen countries introduced biometrics. When I received my first Schengen visa, it was not there yet. But about biometrics next time.
Thus, we can distinguish the following stages of obtaining the first Schengen
- Preparation of documents for a visa
- Visiting the Spanish Consulate or Visa Application Center to submit documents
- Return visit to obtain passport with visa
If you have had experience in obtaining Schengen on your own, please share in the comments.
Have a nice trip!
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About the author: Ekaterina
On the pages of my blog you will find information about the places I have been, secrets and life hacks of independent travel.
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Schengen visa to Italy
Italian visa authorities used to issue multiple visas with a validity period of one year. The more “Schengen” entries from Italy are stamped in a foreign passport, the greater the likelihood of receiving a long-term multiple visa to enter the country.
Sample visa to Italy
It is worth noting that Italians strictly monitor the proper implementation of the EU Visa Code.
Do you need a Schengen visa?
Citizens who live in countries that are not part of the Schengen area are divided into two categories: those from Annex II Countries and those from Annex II Countries.
Holders of passports from Annex I countries must obtain short-term visas, which are the basis for entry into the Schengen territory. Citizens of Annex II countries can enter the Schengen area without a visa. The latter also include states in the Caribbean region that implement citizenship by investment programs. By the way, the minimum cost of a Caribbean passport is 100 thousand dollars. At the same time, a Maltese passport will cost from 880 thousand euros.
Thus, to cross the external border of the Schengen zone, you only need to present a passport (if it allows you to enter Schengen territory under a visa-free regime) or a passport with a valid Schengen visa. You can move freely within the territory of the association in any case (there is no need to apply for special visas to visit several European countries).
Recently, the EU authorities have been expanding the list of countries from Annex II. More recently, Colombia, Kiribati, Timor-Leste, Vanuatu, Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia were added to it.
Spain
Since early 2011, Spain has almost always issued multiple-entry visas to travelers. This did not take into account visits to other Schengen countries. Therefore, even a novice traveler could apply for a “MULT” category visa.
Spain does not specify a clear procedure for obtaining a visa. It is mandatory to fill out the form.
If you have previously applied for a Schengen visa to visit Spain, then you know that consulates carefully check the time spent in the country. If a tourist has spent a long time in other countries, then in the future he will be issued not a generally accepted visa, but a VTL format permit, which grants the right to stay only in Spain.
The city of Alicante in Spain is the country's largest fishing center
Slovakia
Since 2011, Slovakia has been claiming that Russian citizens will soon be issued Schengen visas for two years, which will be much easier to obtain. Unfortunately, there have been no changes in the visa processing system yet, but the Slovak authorities are willing to accept travelers from Ukraine and Russia.
To obtain a Schengen visa in this country, you need to fill out an application and collect documents. There are no clear requirements on the official website of the embassy, so you only need to contact the visa services of Slovakia for information.
Advice: The Slovak Consulate is strict about counting the number of days during which a tourist has stayed on their territory for six months. It is worth paying attention: the legislation of this state indicates that the visa begins to be valid from the moment of first entry.
Map of the location of the Slovak Embassy in Moscow
States with loyal migration policies
- Which country is easier to get a Schengen visa for? This is Spain. The law makes it possible not only to easily obtain admission, but also to allow citizens to travel through the territory with a ban on entry. A special feature is the advisory nature of the purpose of the trip. Also, the transfer is not affected by the number of previous trips abroad. Therefore, tourists prefer to start their first visit to Europe from this country, because it is easier to get a visa here. The consulate can issue a permit for six months at once. However, if, among subsequent visits to European countries, the Spanish state is visited fewer times than others, a national visa may be issued, which is valid only within Spain.
- The French Migration Service issues permission to travel within the country for 5 years. To do this, the necessary package of documents is submitted to the embassy for the first time, and subsequent trips do not require repeated permission. Staying within the borders of the state should not exceed 3 months.
- Slovakia is the country where it is easier for Russians to obtain a Schengen visa. However, do not forget about the terms of stay, violation of which may negatively affect the receipt of a pass in the future. Some difficulty may be the lack of complete information about the necessary documents. In such cases, the data must be clarified in advance at other embassies or on websites.
- Italy restricts admission only if the documents are submitted late. The duration of the first visit to the country is up to 12 months. In the future, if there are no comments from the customs service, you can request permission for a longer period. On subsequent visits, the visa period increases. Difficulties arise with the presence of long queues at visa centers, since this tourist route is the most popular.
- Which Schengen is easier to get is in Finland. The country is very loyal to Russian tourists, especially from the northwestern region, so this route is in great demand. An initial permit can be obtained for 1 month, and for a future trip you can apply for a longer period.
- Greece issues a visa for 1 year with a step-by-step procedure for obtaining it, provided that “365/90” is indicated in the application. If your plans do not include visiting the country again, then it is possible to issue a pass for six months. However, recently this country has been more loyal, and the issuance of a multiple document is possible after the second application.
Which country is easier to get to, besides the ones listed above, can be determined by how busy the consulates are. Those states where there is a smaller flow of tourists are more willing to issue visas. These include: Portugal, Austria, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia. However, careful preparation of documents is still a prerequisite.
Finland
Finland is one of the countries where it is easier to get a visa than all the others. This state is especially willing to issue entry permits to travelers living in the Northwestern region of the Russian Federation.
After the initial application to the visa center, a Schengen visa is most often issued for 30 days.
A special feature of visas is that the number of days allowed to stay in the territory is reduced by exactly half.
Citizens who have already been to Finland and conscientiously treated the legislation of this state will be able to count on receiving a full multiple visa.
Hotel complex in Finland
Visa to England
A visa to the UK has also become easier to obtain recently. And now you can apply for it without contacting visa centers, but using Pony Express. The package of documents is the same as for a visa to Japan. Additionally, almost all accompanying documents still need to be translated into English. It's good if you have extra. a document confirming your connection with your homeland: a car or an apartment you own. Documents about this will also need to be submitted to the consulate. You will also need to submit your fingerprints when you first receive your visa. And one of the biggest disadvantages of a visa to England is its cost. For a tourist visa for half a year you will pay $119, for a period of one and two years - $452, five and ten years - $820 and $1028, respectively.
