Last week, the acceptance of applications for Italian visas was suspended, and later resumed, but not for everyone. Now tour operators have been informed of new rules on how Italians will issue Schengen visas.
Difficulties with Italian visas began on September 15 — then the acceptance of applications for them through the VFS visa center was suspended. Shortly before that, it became known that a man from Belarus with a Russian passport, who had just received a Schengen visa at the Italian embassy in Minsk, turned out to be one of the suspects in the sabotage at Leipzig airport.
Later it turned out that tour operators were still continuing to register for Italian visas, and the changes concerned only individual tourists. On September 21, a meeting of accredited travel agencies with representatives of the embassy and the visa center was held at the Italian visa center in Minsk, where they explained how visas would now be issued.
What's new in the rules? One of the tour operators shares that it will now be possible to apply for an Italian Schengen visa only through standard registration on the VFS website, and there will be no more live queues. Italy will also tighten its approach to issuing visas – Schengen visas will be issued exclusively for a specific trip and confirmed purposes.
A visa expert adds that the waiting list registration is currently suspended. It is unknown when it will be resumed – perhaps this will happen when all existing applications are processed. But, the expert assures, everything will be fine:
"Visas are being issued and will continue to be issued. We are not yet discussing the question of what kind of visas, only time will tell."
Another visa expert writes on social media that places for Italian tours with operators will be reduced by the New Year, and there is no hope that anything will improve in 2027.
Most likely, the expert believes, the former generous issuance of visas by the Italian embassy will no longer happen.
«Nasha Niva» — the bastion of Belarus
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