ATOR reported on the possible introduction of mandatory biometrics for visas by Italy

Starting next Tuesday, July 20, Italy may introduce mandatory biometrics for everyone who wants to apply for a visa. This was announced on July 15 by the press service of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR).

"Starting from July 20, the Almaviva Visa Application Center in Italy introduces mandatory biometrics for applicants from the regions. <...> According to tour operators, the innovation in Almaviva centers applies only to independent applicants who register and submit documents directly," the Telegram channel says.

At the same time, ATOR noted that there are currently no official statements on the relevant measures on the center's website. As follows from the data of the tour operators, such steps were taken by Almaviva due to the fact that some visa applicants did not submit documents at their place of actual residence. Thus, such applicants, as explained, tried to send the papers in a more convenient city.

Currently, Almaviva accepts documents in six cities besides Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod: Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Krasnodar, Rostov-on-Don, Samara and Novosibirsk.

The center itself recommended that its clients submit applications for review in advance, as this process takes over 60 days due to the large number of applicants.

ATOR recalled that in addition to Italy, Greece has also taken the same steps. In order to go there, a Russian citizen also needs to be fingerprinted. Moreover, this procedure must be carried out every time when applying for a visa.

Schengen greetings to all: where are Russian tourists going after mass refusals in Eurovision

Russian citizens often prefer the countries of South-East Asia.

On June 26, the French Visa Application Center in Russia, VFS Global, announced that starting from July 15, the rules for applying for Schengen visas will change. It was noted that now the relevant questionnaire for a minor will be signed by his parent or legal representative. At the same time, such a person will also have to submit biometric data in advance.