Russian citizens submitted over 679,000 Schengen visa applications in 2025. This is a 12% increase compared to the previous year.
618,800 applications were approved.
Applicants were denied visas in nearly 43,000 cases. According to statistics, the Schengen visa refusal rate for Russians is decreasing annually: 10.6% in 2023, 7.5% in 2024, and 6.3% in 2025.
Applicants pay a consular fee before submitting their application. If their application is refused, this money is wasted. It is estimated that rejected Russians will lose over €3.3 million in 2025.
Applicants pay not only the consular fee but also the visa application center service fee. It is impossible to estimate these losses.
Italy issued the most visas to Russians, approving over 161,000 applications.
France ranks second with 156,500 visas.
Spain issued over 123,300 visas to Russians.
Greece ranks fourth in Schengen visa issuance to Russian citizens.
Schengen countries primarily issue single-entry visas to Russians. Multiple-entry visas are issued less frequently than before.
I was born in the USSR. Traveling to other countries was impossible for the vast majority of people at the time. No one could have imagined that everything would change, but it did. I received a two-year multiple-entry visa and traveled without restrictions. I visited Finland most often. But history has come full circle, and obtaining a Schengen visa has become impossible again.
However, Russians still have many opportunities for international travel. Turkey, Egypt, Thailand, and Vietnam are among the most popular countries.