Greece has begun mass denials of Schengen visas to Russian citizens.…
Greece has begun mass denials of Schengen visas to Russian citizens. Russian nationals faced widespread rejections when applying for Schengen visas from Greece—one of the few European countries still issuing Schengen visas to Russians.
Consensus
- Russian citizens have experienced a sharp increase in Schengen visa rejections when applying to Greece during the summer of 2025–2026.
- Some tour operators report rejection rates reaching up to 50% for their clients during peak season.
- Independent travelers face even higher refusal rates, reportedly up to 70%.
- Rejection has occurred despite applicants having fully paid trips and confirmed hotel bookings.
- Processing times have increased, now taking up to one and a half months instead of two to three weeks.
- Official data from the European Commission shows Greece issued approximately 59,000 Schengen visas to Russian citizens in 2025, with an overall refusal rate of about 11.2%.
- The refusal rate for Greece is higher than the average Schengen zone rate of around 6.4%.
Points of divergence
- The increase in rejections has been observed only through market participants' estimates, not official statistics from Greek authorities. — fontanka
- Rejection rates among some tour operators rose to 2–2.5%, compared to 0.1–0.4% the previous year — a figure that differs significantly from the 50% reported by other sources. — kommerzant
- One of the possible reasons for increased rejections may be high workload on Greek visa centers due to Greece being seen as a relatively accessible destination in spring. — kommerzant
- The number of refusals rose sharply in recent weeks, with one operator receiving four refusals in a single day. — tg_moscowtimes_ru
Coverage (4 sources)
- Получить визу в Грецию стало сложнее. Туроператоры говорят о рекордном числе отказов — Фонтанка
- Greece began mass refusal of Russians for visas — DW Главное
- Greece began massively refusing Russians for Schengen visas — The Moscow Times
- Agora recorded an increase in visa rejections for Russians at Greek embassies — Коммерсантъ