Seven out of the ten most sought-after business visas by Russian citizens in 2023 are visas issued by European Union countries.
While the most sought-after visa by Russian business persons was the Chinese one, which was even more wanted in 2023 than pre-pandemic, listed next is the French visa, followed by the Italian one.
According to a report of the Russian Aeroclub business tourism agency, the top ten visas for which Russians applied most in 2023 are as follows:
- China
- France
- Italy
- India
- Ireland
- Austria
- Switzerland
- Guinea
- Spain
- Hungary
The most popular visa among business representatives in 2023 was a visa to China. Its share of the total number of visas was 58 per cent, and the number of issued visas exceeded pre-pandemic figures by 43 per cent. France was in second place with a share of ten per cent. Third place was taken by Italy.
On the other hand, the Schengen Area countries which issued the highest rate of visas compared to the number of applications they received in 2023 are Greece, Hungary and Spain.
And while Greece and Hungary mainly issue single-entry visas for the duration of the intended trip, Spain usually grants Russian business persons with multiple-entry visas with longer validity.
Recently, the most loyal countries in terms of issuing Schengen visas are Greece, Hungary and Spain. You can sign up with them to submit documents quite freely, the visa processing period is from 15 to 45 working days, and the cost of the visa is approximately €100.
In June 2023, SchengenVisaInfo had reported that Spain had become a haven for Russian tourists, after many EU Member States introduced entry restrictions on the same, due to the invasion of Ukraine.
According to Schengen Visa statistics, one-fourth of visas obtained by Russian passport holders in 2022 have been issued by the Spanish authorities, or as many as 154,450 out of 603,955 Schengen visas issued.
Other countries in the Schengen zone issuing a high number of visas to Russians in 2022 are Finland – 105,323, Italy – 103,099, Greece – 61,840 France – 55,285, Germany – 38,809, and Hungary – 25,081.
At the time, the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) had advised Russian citizens to apply for Schengen visas at the consular authorities of Hungary, Greece, and Italy in Russia, calling these countries their best shots for getting a Schengen visa.
