Slovakia’s visa centers in Russia will suspend Schengen visa applications in July and August, BLS International said, citing the Slovak Embassy.
Only sports-related applications will be accepted during that period. National visas for study, family reunification, and specialized work will continue to be processed.
The Association of Tour Operators of Russia said there is no significant “hype” around Slovak visas on the market, and that Slovakia “has historically not been among the top visa-friendly countries for Russian tourists.”
The most visa-friendly countries remain Spain, France, and Italy. However, Spain’s visa center recently warned that processing times for Spanish visas have increased due to a rise in applications and may now take up to 45 days (previously it took three to four weeks). Italy’s visa center has also extended its processing times, which now exceed 60 days.
At Meduza, we are committed to transparency about our use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom. The story you’re reading was written by one of our living, breathing journalists and translated from Russian using an AI model configured to follow our strict editorial standards. This translation process is the result of extensive testing and refinements to ensure our English-language coverage is timely and accurate. A Meduza editor reviews every draft before publication.
If you find any errors in this translation, please contact us at [email protected].
To read Meduza’s exclusive content in English, please subscribe to our newsletter.
