ATOR pointed to an increase in the time for issuing visas to Italy to Russians

The Italian Visa Application Center has notified Russian citizens about an increase in the processing time. This was reported on June 25 in the Telegram channel of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) with reference to the notification of the VMS visa application center.

"The VMS Visa Application Center has notified about the extension of the processing time. Now it is more than 60 days, whereas until recently 40 days were considered the upper limit," the report says.

Due to the changes, applicants are officially recommended to submit their documents no later than three months before the planned trip. Currently, registration at the Moscow representative office is open for the middle of July 2026, however, free slots for earlier dates periodically appear in the system.

Despite the increased waiting times, Italy remains loyal to tourists from the Russian Federation. The share of approved applications consistently exceeds 90%.

Last year, Italy issued about 160,000 Schengen visas to Russians. This indicator is one of the highest among all the States of the European Union.

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

The ATOR press service reported on June 20 that Japan's decision to raise visa fees for foreigners would not affect Russian citizens. In addition, the organization noted that in May 2025, 24.6 thousand Russian tourists visited Japan, which is 28.4% more than a year earlier.