"Waited 2 years. Visa - for 9 days." How Belarusians are now breaking into Europe

Illustrative photo. Photo: "Nasha Niva"

Experts: through Spain "the risk of refusal is minimal," and the Italian embassy is "the most generous"

Visa experts in Threads advise applying through Spain, because "the risk of refusal is minimal." You can sign up within 1-2 months, document processing will take up to 6 weeks, and the visa will be issued for 1-3 months.

The Italian embassy is also an option, according to one social media user. It is "the most generous": for a clean passport, it issues visas for 3-6 months (although dates for specific trips also occur), if there is confirmation of stay in Italy, they can give for 1-3 years. Documents are processed in 2 weeks. However, submission is possible if you have a number in the live queue.

But the German embassy "has started to give out poorly": "even if there is confirmation that people traveled to Germany before, they give for the trip or for 3 months, less often - from six months to two years." At the same time, waiting for submission will take 15-18 months.

Another visa expert also notes that the fastest and cheapest option now is through Greece, preferably for a tour, but "there are no guarantees of obtaining" even in this case. Although "in season there are fewer refusals."

Spaniards, according to him, open the first visa for an average of 30 days, the next - for 3 months, and so on, increasing. But you can also expect surprises from them. "As luck would have it" is also how the French issue visas.

German Schengen: "Waited for a submission date from October 2024, received in April"

Inna waited for a submission date for a German visa from October 2024, received it in April - for a year.

"The submission at the embassy itself was not difficult: we came up with a route, translated everything into German - and arrived with a full package of documents. We also attached checks from a previous trip to Germany and tickets (we previously had a one-year visa by invitation)."

Inna says she registered through the online appointment system.

"After you successfully enter all the necessary data, a confirmation of the appointment will be sent to your email. Then you wait for a letter with the submission date. The terms vary for everyone (it seems they depend on the purpose of the trip) - from one to two years. After receiving the date, the visit must be confirmed by clicking on the link."

She also registered for submission at the German embassy in October 2024 - and about a month ago received a visa for 2 years. Valeria signed up for the waiting list in August of the same 2024, applied in late January. The result - she was given a visa for 30 days, although the girl was hoping for more, as she had an invitation from friends.

Threads user Margarita received a German Schengen for an even shorter period - 9 days - after two years of waiting. And another user, Irina, got one for 5 years; she had an invitation from a friend, and this was her fifth German visa.

Spanish Schengen: "for 3 months in a clean passport," but some faced refusal

Evgenia received a Spanish Schengen this year - for 3 months in a clean passport: her documents were prepared by an agency, she was registered for submission in 1.5 weeks - the girl paid 550 rubles for this.

Arseny applied himself through the VIP-lounge of the Spanish visa center, because there are "always more slots" there, and the result was the same - a visa for 3 months with two entries in his passport. He recommends joining a Telegram group and following the guides - they are very detailed.

Sofia also applied herself. After 5 weeks of waiting, she received a visa for a month (although she hoped for 3), the girl had no other visas before.

Olga was less lucky - she tried to open a Spanish visa for herself and her elderly mother through assistants, but received a refusal. The agency the girl worked with merely shrugged their shoulders.

Italian Schengen: "Only those with a number are in the queue on the porch," but you can also go with a tour

All interviewees who received an Italian Schengen are from the same "notebook" queue. Until January 2025, it was possible to register at the Italian visa center via a live queue - but then registration by this method was suspended and resumed only in November.

And from July 1, appointment booking and application acceptance will be handled by the VF Worldwide visa center on Maxim Tank Street in Minsk.

"Now, only those with a number in the journal are in the queue on the porch - typically from 40,000+," Angelina says.

She herself received a visa in January, having registered in the autumn of 2024 - but then plans changed, and she didn't try to find out what happened to her number, decided it was "lost." However, when the girl again became keen on the idea of getting a visa, acquaintances advised her to go to the visa center and try. The result - a visa for 2 years. Angelina previously had a one-year visa. There is confirmation of stay in Italy.

Ivan also received an Italian Schengen - for 3 months. He says he studied Telegram chats and realized: the best option is to buy a bus tour. "Yes, not very comfortable, but at least they issue the visa either for free or for a symbolic amount." Olga did the same: she calculated how much she would save if she organized her trip herself, and concluded that it was simpler to buy a one-week bus tour.

"I paid 700 euros, plus consular and service fees - and in Threads, assistants ask for 900 euros just for the visa."

Anastasia registered in 2024 both in the "notebook" at the Italian visa center and in the queue at the German embassy. As a result, she was given an Italian Schengen at the end of last year - in a clean passport, and now she expects a German submission date soon.

Greek and Hungarian Schengen: whose passports were returned without visas, and who received a visa for 3 years

Natalia applied for a Greek visa herself - she collected documents and registered through the website. According to the girl, this took one evening, and the submission date was a week later. As a result, she received a visa for the dates of her trip - for 14 days.

However, Threads user Marina complains that she and her son had their passports returned without visas - although they submitted documents for a bus tour to Greece. No one provided explanations. The decision can be appealed, but Marina doesn't want to, as it must be done in Greek.

Olga received a Hungarian Schengen in winter - for a tour. She was given a visa for the dates of her trip, but there were also people in their group who received it for a longer period, "maximum - for a year." The girl says that she initially planned to apply herself, but couldn't catch any slots. Then she figured that with a tour, there would be more chances for a positive outcome.

And another Natalia, having bought a tour to Hungary, received a visa for 3 years in March.

French Schengen: "Attached a stack of statements and screenshots, and as a result received visas for a month"

The French embassy changed the visa application procedure in February, transferring appointment booking functions to TLScontact.

Ekaterina applied in late winter. The girl bought a bus tour - and received visas for 10 days. However, she considers this a bad result, as she already had a Schengen visa for 1.5 years in her passport, and she was hoping for more.

"The agency told me that France gives a minimum of six months, and to those who already had visas - three years. And here such a disappointment."

Threads user Galina also bought a tour to France, "to get a normal visa." She already has a six-month visa from the French in her passport, obtained for a tour, and two Spanish ones - for 3 months each. As a result, in May, she received a visa for 15 days.

Oleg is also dissatisfied: when applying for visas at the French embassy (by invitation from friends), he and his wife attached "a whole stack of statements and screenshots" confirming that they had repeatedly been to Paris. And as a result, they received visas for a month.

"My wife and I were warned: the French prefer clean passports, while the Italians prefer those with a travel history. Our friends applied for a tour to Italy (because they didn't have numbers from the 'live queue') - and they were given visas for a year. But we thought the French embassy would appreciate our loyalty. In vain!

But we registered quickly - within one evening (or rather, night), got a slot for the next day, and had to wait a little over two months for the submission date."

Anna applied to the French embassy in October last year (bought a tour) - she received a visa for 6 months in a clean passport. Now she would like to repeat this experience, but, "having read messages in chats, she is afraid" that they won't give it for so long.

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