"After a five-year visa, they gave me three months." How Belarusians are currently getting Schengen visas
Even in 2026, Belarusians are persistently looking for ways to get a Schengen visa, preferably a multiple-entry one. It would seem that everyone has either long accepted the new rules of the game or is looking towards Japan and Vietnam, but the years-long queues still aren't getting shorter, and news about the slightest innovations from embassies and visa centers gathers a huge number of views. The publication "Onliner", together with experts and lucky visa holders, found out how difficult, long, and expensive it will be this summer to get a chance to swim in Crete, eat ice cream in Rome, and oysters in Paris.
How has the visa situation changed since 2025?
This time, the publication asked Katerina Sigeikina, director of the visa agency "VisaUsym" (VisaAll), to help understand the important "Schengen" issues. The most pressing question, which everyone usually asks with hope, is: so, has it gotten better? The expert replies that it certainly hasn't gotten worse, which in the current realities is already a cause for joy.
"The Spanish 'Schengen' remains the most popular among Belarusians. Because of all the options available in the next six months, it's the only one where there's a chance to get a visa not just for the dates of travel (if we're talking about a tourist visa, not a guest one). There's an option to apply both in Minsk and in Moscow with a round-trip transfer.
Among the new opportunities: the French embassy has started accepting applications for tourist visas not only for group tours. However, waiting for an appointment there will usually take three to six months. This option is also in demand now, but is unlikely to suit those planning to go on vacation sooner than six months from now."
What to do if your vacation is already "burning"?
Let's model a situation: vacation dates are set for the end of May, and you really want to make it to Europe somewhere, preferably by the sea. In such a case, Katerina recommends only one option: the Greek "Schengen". You can apply for it not only in Minsk but also in other regions with active visa centers. The expert notes that once you get the visa, you can then travel anywhere with it, not necessarily to Greece.
— A year ago, the Greeks were very strict about checking hotel bookings and could cancel a visa if the tourist didn't check in. Is that no longer the case?
— That used to be true, but according to the latest information, it's almost not practiced anymore. Moreover, our agency, for example, provides a hotel voucher for submission – the consulate considers this as a paid place of residence. Yes, a hotel simply booked on Booking might raise doubts, and checking in could be verified. A visa could also be canceled in such a case, or questions might arise upon returning from the Schengen area.
When we started working with vouchers, the number of rejections also significantly decreased (the Greeks were previously known for them). In March, 50 people applied for a Greek visa with us; there were only two rejections. But, of course, it's important to remember that the Greeks issue visas only for the dates of travel, even if you have a visa history with them and confirmed visits to Greece.
Request: "Just get any visa this summer, and I'll decide later"
If that coveted sticker in your passport isn't particularly urgent, then the best option will still be the Spanish visa — it's no wonder it's the most popular. What about the terms? Judging by statistics, the Spanish are most likely to be generous with something from a monthly to a six-month "Schengen" — if there is a history of staying in the country, the chances for another one are accordingly higher. One, two years — it happens, but it's more an exception.
Katerina, however, reminds that the season is starting now, and since the Spanish option is very popular among Belarusians, the waiting time for submission can easily equal the duration of the visa itself.
"The wait for an appointment in Minsk can last about 2-3 months. That is, applying for a Spanish visa for a summer vacation might already be risky. If we talk about submitting in Moscow, it's realistic to get into the visa center within a month. But you need to consider that passports with the Spanish are currently under review for 45 to 60 days — also an important nuance for those who want to get a visa, for example, by June."
Let's do the math. The Spanish visa center releases appointment slots twice a month, two weeks in advance. Next week, dates for the first half of May are expected. So, even if you are lucky enough to get a slot, but then your passport stays at the embassy for 60 days, it turns out that a trip to, say, Barcelona should be planned no earlier than mid-July.
Top 3 Most Friendly Embassies that will Provide a Luxurious Maximum
A Greek single-entry visa and a Spanish visa for a month are, generally, also not bad. But admit it, life shines with new colors when you have a valid multi-year Schengen visa in your passport and can imagine at any moment spontaneously flying to Paris or Prague on cheap Wizz Air tickets for the weekend (even if you never actually do it). As they say, you feel niche.
Based on statistics and experience, Katerina was asked to compile a top 3 of European embassies that could provide something similar – with nuances, but still.
"The Italian embassy can be placed first – provided you have a good visa history. And what is visa history? It's not just the number of visas in your passport, but also the quality of their use."
In the case of Italy, accordingly, confirmation of trips to Italy. If these are present, a Schengen visa for 1, 2, or 3 years is most often issued. For a clean passport – 3 to 6 months. A visa for the dates of travel is rather rare. There have been no rejections at all in the last year, if we take statistics from our clients. In general, they do occur, but mainly for unemployed individuals who provided a bank statement with too small a balance in their account.
I would still give second place to the German embassy, despite many discussions that it has started issuing visas worse than before. This may be the case, however, again, one must look at the visa history of the specific individual. If everything is fine in this regard, then the Germans can still issue a Schengen visa for 1 or 2 years. Three years for tourism is much less common than with the Italians. For a clean passport – for the trip or up to three months. But the waiting time for an appointment has already stretched to two years – a lot can change during this time, of course.
Well, and in third place I would put the French embassy. With a good visa history, they can also issue a tourist "Schengen" for a period from 6 months to 3 years."
The director of the visa agency awards the "audience sympathy prize" to the Polish embassy. This is rarely mentioned, but the Poles still issue tourist visas. True, with a significant priority for applicants from specific regions of Belarus. With residence registration in Grodno or Brest (and not fresh, but from six months ago), it is quite realistic to get a "Schengen" even for 5 years — again, with a good visa history and stamps confirming border crossings into Poland. Others, unfortunately, should not hope for anything more than a single-entry visa for the trip (this is provided that it is even possible to get an appointment, which, to put it mildly, is very difficult).
"The thing is that different districts have different consuls, and they review documents differently. Most likely, in the Brest and Grodno districts, they proceed from the logic that these regions are border areas, and therefore, people truly prioritize visiting Poland itself."
What about the "dark horses" — Romania, Denmark, and the rest?
The Telegram channel "Visa Mole" recently reminded about the existence of "secret" embassies and visa centers that technically also issue Schengen visas. The insider cited Finland, Norway, and Denmark as examples. He immediately stipulated: the rejection rate there is the highest; something for travel dates will only be given to those who have very compelling reasons to visit these specific countries.
Romania also resumed issuing visas to Belarusians after a two-month break. Surprisingly, there are plenty of positive cases of obtaining it. However, people mainly praised not the waiting times for appointments (several months) or the visas themselves (unfortunately, single-entry or something like a month), but the Romanians' approach: the consul personally talks to all applicants, and is described as a pleasant and polite man.
"Romania is part of the Schengen area, but it's clearly not a country that's going to issue multiple-entry visas," confirms Katerina Sigeikina. "The Romanians check visits to their country: you have to check into the hotel whose booking you submitted with your application. Afterwards, of course, you can go to another Schengen country, but you'll have to get to Romania in any case.
In Denmark, for instance, appointments are open; you can go and apply at any moment. The country is not in high demand, partly because they also issue visas only for the trip dates, plus there's a fairly high risk of refusal (even with an invitation from close relatives). You should only consider this direction if you seriously intend to visit the country, and not just need a 'Schengen' visa."
We specifically asked Katerina about the new automated EES control system, which was finally introduced in the Schengen area on April 10. Since it involves scanning only biometric data (your photos and fingerprints are no longer needed by anyone), rumors spread on Threads that holders of regular passports would be standing at control windows for several hours. This allegedly also applies to airports, suggesting that people with old documents would not be processed in time for flights.
"I also read about this, but there is no official information yet that Belarusians will only be allowed in with biometric passports," the expert refutes. "Everyone calmly receives visas with any passports, they are also requested for the summer. Embassies and visa centers do not say that you need to urgently replace your document, otherwise you will not be able to leave. Officially, passports of two formats are valid in our country, and you can travel without problems with both. If there were any problems, we would already know and would warn clients."
"Germans cut down the terms"
How much does it cost, on average, to get a visa with the help of agents now? For the fastest and most affordable options (again, Greece and Spain), Katerina names sums from approximately 500 to 1200 rubles, depending on the terms and the availability of applying in a premium lounge.
In general, there are no particular revelations in this regard: a quick and easy visa is now also a luxury. A long and difficult one — in principle, too. For those who still don't want to say goodbye to the memories of seven years ago, when a two-year Schengen visa was only hindered by one's own laziness and unwillingness to part with a passport for a whole week, we have gathered some information about independent applications.
The most accessible embassy is still the German one. There, they don't force you to rack your brains over slots, bots, and queue numbers: you enter your data on the website — and wait. If you do it right now, then most likely until 2028.
"Onliner" asked Ilya, one of the administrators of the "German" visa chat, whether this agonizing game is worth the effort: it is now one of the most active helper communities (the chat has over 32 thousand people), which has been diligently documenting statistics for the past few years, not only for the visa department of the embassy as a whole, but also for specific consuls.
"Recently, the Germans have cut down the terms. After a five-year visa, my mother was given a three-month one by invitation from her sister," shares the interlocutor. "Proof of trips was not accepted, although the official invitation stated the degree of kinship. Therefore, I now recommend everyone to collect documents confirming kinship and attach them during submission. Those who did so received visas for 2 years or more. There were a couple of 'shots' for tourism for 2-3 years. Otherwise, they mainly give 'multi-entry' for 3 months.
In fact, nothing new: the Germans' mood changes every six months. They openly say: people use our visas for trips to Poland and Lithuania, so there's no point in giving them for long periods. Such people, by the way, are indeed the majority due to the simple appointment system. Unfortunately, Mr. Wazih's time is over, when he gave visas from one year for a clean passport."
Ilya believes that in terms of visa validity periods, the situation might slightly improve by summer. As for waiting times, no positive shifts are observed yet: even with an invitation from friends, the queue to the embassy window will not come any sooner than in a year and a half. Without it, as already mentioned, plus or minus two years.
"If close relatives invite you, the submission date can be set in two weeks – in this regard, we should thank the Germans for being accommodating. For a business visa, you can apply in 3-6 months. But now they have become more careful about verifying the purpose of obtaining a visa when making an appointment. There have already been a couple of cases where documents were not accepted or a refusal was issued."
"The Greeks have a lot of people and a bit of a mess"
Ilya's statistics are confirmed by a reader who recently received a German "Schengen" for 3.5 months after two years of waiting. The Belarusian woman doesn't hide her disappointment; she had hoped for a longer period, considering that she had indeed been to Germany before (though not on a German visa – this likely played a negative role) and provided all confirmations during her application. She says her only consolation is that she will apply again soon, this time to the Italians – the woman had been waiting for her turn since the end of 2024.
Yes, the disappointing fact about the most loyal European embassy is that a regular tourist (without business connections or close relatives — with these, it's simpler) cannot get an appointment independently within the next year and a half, just like with the Germans. From May 1, the Italians are "moving" from the TLScontact visa center to the familiar VFS Global, but skeptics believe that this will not significantly improve the situation, or may even worsen it. If you now come across reels of some lucky people unpacking that same three-year Italian "Schengen," they most likely just endured since 2024, having signed up back in "Oleg's notebook."
"We signed up for the live queue journal on Nemiga back in August 2024," says one of these lucky people named Vladislav. "We were assigned a number, with which you can apply even on the same day, provided there is no one in the queue with a number smaller than yours. The document package is standard: application forms, employment certificate, bank statement, car documents (it was assumed the trip would be by car), hotel bookings, insurance. For a child – a sponsorship letter. We arrived at the visa center and found a complete absence of people: we were the only ones applying for a visa that day. Two weeks later, the passports were with us. Result: for me – the first visa for 6 months, for my wife and child – 2 years each (they had repeat visas)."
Victoria also joined the visa queue in October 2024 but never got her appointment. Learning about the imminent transition to a new visa center, the girl decided not to delay just in case and used the "regional days" option offered by the Italian embassy for people without Minsk residency. Victoria and her mother traveled from Grodno to apply on January 25 and February 23.
"We prepared all documents ourselves; we didn't use agency services. We booked accommodation simply through Booking, and bought airline tickets for €15 on sale with Wizz Air. We already had Italian visas before, and we attached proof of stay, although they are not mandatory — they only increase the chance of a longer visa term. My first 'Schengen' was for a year, the second for two, and now they gave me three. My mother's first was also for a year, now her second was given for two."
Another story of independent visa acquisition was shared by Tatiana. Recently, she decided to get that fast Greek "Schengen" without the help of agencies — she saved money, but not much: at the visa center, she still had to spend additional money, and most importantly, her nerves.
"It's not difficult to make an appointment yourself: in February, the Greeks posted March dates on their website, and I caught one of them. At the visa center, there were many people scheduled for the same time, and it was a bit chaotic. I had to wait an hour — compared to the quick submission with the Germans, it's night and day. Further on, it was just irritation. First, the photo taken a month ago didn't fit; they forced me to take another one for a fee in the photo booth.
In general, additional paid services are constantly offered there: for SMS, for a courier who will bring documents (and if you apply as a couple, you have to pay separately for each passport, even if they deliver them to the same place later). In the application form, of course, they find errors and offer to correct them — also for a fee.
Regarding documents: they carefully check tickets. I had a flight from Poznan; they asked to see round-trip tickets. I made the hotel booking in Greece through Booking. The visa was opened for the trip, not a single extra day was given. It cost €65 (plus additional services). But if you really want to go where you planned, any obstacles are nothing."