How Belarusians can get a Schengen visa: Can they make it by summer 2026?
Restrictions on flights to the UAE, Qatar, and Oman due to military actions, at least an energy crisis in Cuba, another tax for tourists in Thailand, and long flights to Asia are making Belarusians think even more about the prospects for summer (and not only) holidays.
Interestingly, the number of requests for obtaining a "Schengen" visa has not decreased. "There has always been a category of people who need a visa. And they will get it. It's just that now it's either very expensive or takes a long time," explains a source to Tochka.by.
Schengen queues have significantly lengthened
According to the interlocutor, who specializes in processing Italian visas, a tourist "Schengen" could be obtained cheaper.
"For example, if you sign up on the waiting list for Italy, expecting to get a visa in six months to a year, and calmly prepare all the necessary documents yourself, without overpaying for premium lounges," the travel agent says.
But now the queue of those wishing to apply for a "Schengen" through the Italian embassy has stretched out. And it is now difficult to count on receiving it in the foreseeable future.
Visa centers allocate up to 90 days just for verification (in reality, it turns out to be much longer). Plus, you have to wait about nine more months for the actual submission. As they say, you could give birth in that time.
At the same time, Italy remains the most "friendly" in terms of visa issuance, as does Greece. These countries process documents faster and rarely refuse.
However, Greek diplomats usually issue visas only for tours. Italian ones can be more generous and issue a relatively long-term "Schengen" – at least in theory.
Spain with transfer to Moscow
We continue to look for opportunities in southern Europe.
"If we consider the tourist direction, then in the next six months, appointments for Greece and Spain are available; visas are mainly issued for short periods," one of the agencies specifies.
Slots for appointments to Spain disappear very quickly; approval can take several months. And the review itself stretches up to 45 days.
The usual "slot hunting" in Minsk is now considered a waste of nerves by tourism industry representatives. Especially since it's difficult to find the right number of "windows," for example, for a family with children.
Photo: Lookby.Media
To speed things up, two options are offered: impersonal submission in Minsk for an additional fee, or a transfer to Moscow, where everything happens faster.
In the second case, this implies an overnight trip, submission in the morning with the assistance of an escort, and return home by evening of the same day. The passport with the visa will be brought back by "courier."
Romanian visa center doesn't help
As is known, Romania resumed accepting visa documents on April 1. But there are so many applications that it's hard to guess when they will be processed in chronological order.
The Bulgarian Visa Center increased its service fee in April. It is now €28 instead of €25 (including for children). Payment is made in Belarusian rubles at the exchange rate on the day of submission.
How much does a Schengen visa cost for Belarusians in 2026?
Representatives of specialized travel agencies evade a direct answer to the question of the "turnkey" visa cost.
This evasiveness can be explained by the fear of scaring off the client with the price, and also by the dependence on specific conditions (country and visa center).
Only the amount of the consular fee for a short-term Schengen visa type C for citizens of Belarus is unambiguous - €35 (for adults and children over 12 years old).
When submitting through visa centers, a service fee of €15 to €28 is added (as it turned out in the case of Bulgaria).
It should be noted that children under 12 years old do not need to pay the consular fee. But this does not cancel the service fee for the visa center.
Medical insurance must also be submitted: the price depends on the duration and — sometimes — the specifics of the trip (for example, the insurance coefficient may increase if it concerns sports competitions where there is a risk of injury).
Separately, travel agencies offer paid services for filling out questionnaires and even photographing.
Submitting an application for a Spanish visa through Moscow involves transfer costs.
Additional payment will also be required if you are willing to use the so-called premium lounges of visa centers. Sums of 110-135 rubles are mentioned.
Agents also ask about relatives or friends living in Poland (with permanent residence or citizenship) who can provide a guest invitation. This will simplify the "Schengen" application process.
But, it seems, in such a case, an intermediary is not particularly needed, unless there is no desire to interact with the diplomatic mission yourself.
Thus, depending on the country, travel agencies offer to arrange a "Schengen" for 300-600 rubles with the prefix "from" (the indicated amount). Theoretically, it is better to budget an average figure of 450 rubles.
Before applying for a visa and traveling, check your passport
Representatives of the tourism industry draw attention to a recent trend: people are applying for visas with damaged and (even more surprisingly) invalid passports.
Because of this, they are not granted a visa or are later not allowed to leave Belarus. At the border, the passport is checked first, and only then the permit stamp.
In this regard, experts offer a mini-guide for checking your passport before applying for a visa and traveling abroad.
The document must have been issued no more than 10 years ago. And after the trip, it must be valid for at least three more months.
For visas and stamps, two blank pages must be provided.
When leaving Belarus, the condition of the passport is also important: the embossed seal must be clear (if more than 10% is blurred, you will most likely not be allowed to leave).
Also, a damaged photo and torn pages can lead to being sent home and required to replace the passport.
If the document does not meet the requirements, you will be turned away even with a visa.
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