Getting a Schengen visa has turned into a quest. The main visa for the whole of Europe in 2024 is still issued to Russians by several countries, including Spain, Italy and Greece. But the French are considered the most loyal. If, for example, the Greeks issue a visa for a maximum period of travel, then the French consul may be generous for a year or even five (rarely, but it happens).
Lena Titok, a regular author of the Ostrovka blog, shares her personal experience of applying to the French visa center in Moscow: what documents she submitted, and how she eventually managed to get an annual visa.
Contents
- How to catch a slot and sign up
- What documents to collect
- What to expect at the visa application center
- How to increase your chances of getting Schengen in 2024
How to catch a slot and sign up
My five-year French Schengen ended in September 2023, and since then I have been lazily thinking that I need to get a new one. A little bit about my visa history: before the five-year period, there were several one-year French and Italian visas, plus a whole collection of semi-annual and issued for the duration of the trip: Greece, Germany, Hungary, Spain. Let’s add to this list three British visas obtained between 2017 and 2019. I have never violated the visa regime, there were no refusals until last year (I was refused a visa from the United States in Qatar).
The first time I visited the website of the French visa application center VFS Global back in January, but I immediately realized that it would be problematic to catch a slot for applying for a tourist visa on my own: there were no permanent free dates. Then I signed up for the free telegram bot @vfs_france, which promptly reports on the appearance of windows for submission in different cities of Russia. With his help, I caught a slot for the first time and practically signed up at the visa application center in mid-February, but the only available date coincided with my intended trip to Myanmar, and I decided not to take any chances: at that time, to confirm the entry, it was necessary to deposit 3,500 rubles, which were not returned in case of failure to submit documents.
The next time I remembered about the visa was somewhere in April, and in May, through the same bot, I caught the window for August 20. By the way, in the spring they no longer took money for booking slots, so I didn’t risk anything. I received an email confirming my appointment (you need to print it out before going to the visa application center), and I entered the x-day in the calendar.
It will be problematic to catch a slot for applying for a tourist visa on your own. Photo: insta_photos/Shutterstock.com
What documents should I collect
Since in May it seems to all of us that August will never come, I, of course, postponed the collection of documents for the last week before applying for a visa. But in the end I managed to do everything. There were in my folder:
- 2 color photos (taken in a photo studio at home);
- a completed online and printed questionnaire from the website. She indicated the first week of December as the travel dates;
- a bank statement with the movement of funds for 3 months with a blue seal and a certificate of account balance;
- printout from the taxpayer’s office on registration as self-employed and a certificate of income for the year from the same place. I attached a free English translation to both documents, which I made myself;
- hotel reservation (I then canceled it);
- booking air tickets (the French open a visa without them, but I reinsured myself and issued return tickets);
- travel insurance;
- a copy of the second valid passport with Schengen and British visas (I kept the original) and an old cancelled passport with several Schengen visas;
- cover letter on A4 sheet by hand in English, which I wrote at the last moment. In it, I glibly joke about cheese and wine, which I miss, and roughly outline my route: Paris, Rouen, then look into Luxembourg. No specifics.
You need to collect a package of documents for a visa. Photo: H_Ko/Shutterstock.com
How to travel to Europe now
Instructions for obtaining a Schengen visa and tips on choosing the best connecting flights from Russia to European countries are in this article.
What to expect at the visa application center
The French Visa Application Center is located at the same address: Moscow, Prospekt Mira, 64, 3rd floor. I chose Tuesday at 15:00 for submission and I advise you to follow my example. If possible, sign up in the middle of the working day: you won’t have to waste time in line. I arrived 20 minutes before the specified time: there is no point earlier. There were 2 people in front of me. At about 14:45, we were launched into the hall.
My number was already on the scoreboard, so I immediately went to the indicated window. An employee of the visa center checked the documents and made edits to my application form: I accidentally requested a single entry (thank her very much for her attentiveness). Then I was told that the passport can no longer be picked up at the visa application center: only courier delivery is possible (the service is free). Anyone can get the documents for you: the main thing is to leave him a check.
Then I was sent to the cashier, where I paid the fee: 12,668 rubles. In case of refusal, this money will not be returned to you, but if you doubt success, you can get insurance for 3,500 rubles. I missed this option. The last stage is the delivery of biometrics. This procedure is mandatory even for those who have already been fingerprinted before. Now it needs to be repeated before each new visa. There was one person in front of me at the checkout, I passed the biometrics without waiting. At 15:15, I left the visa application center — the whole procedure took half an hour.
Exactly 3 weeks after the date of submission, on September 10, I received a letter from VFS Global stating that my passport is ready and will be delivered to the specified address tomorrow. In the morning, the courier brought me an orange envelope. Inside was a passport with a one-year visa valid from December 1, 2024.
If possible, sign up in the middle of the working day: you will not have to waste time in line. Photo: Oleinik Iuliia/Shutterstock.com
How to increase your chances of getting Schengen in 2024
- Subscribe to the telegram bot and follow its messages. With a free virtual assistant, it will be much easier to make an appointment to submit documents.
- Analyze your visa history. If there have been refusals or violations of the visa regime relatively recently, it is better to wait a little, postponing the submission of documents until better times.
- Carefully collect the documents and make sure that all the necessary papers are in place. It would be a shame to lose time (and a slot).
- Apply in advance, and not on the eve of your intended trip: remember that the application review period may exceed a month.
And if it’s still without a visa?
There are not so few countries where Russians can go without applying for a visa in advance — consider at least these eight open destinations. In some cases, even a passport will not be required!
In general, there is nothing difficult in the process of applying for Schengen: the most important thing is to be patient and act without fuss. But I remind you: getting Schengen today is a lottery. And may you be lucky in it!
Cover photo: Oleg_P /Shutterstock.com
