France to continue issuing visas to Russians, but changes issuance terms

By Trend

France will continue to issue short-term visas to Russian nationals, but visa fees and the term of visa application consideration will be increased, Trend reports citing TASS.

"France will continue to issue short-term visas to Russians. However, we draw your attention to the fact that the above-mentioned decision comes into effect and the terms for short-term visa issuance change. The visa fee is increased from 35 to 80 euro for all. Consideration of visa applications may take up to 45 days. So, those willing to obtain visas are recommended to take this into account while planning trips," the embassy wrote on its website.

According to the embassy, this decision does not apply to long-term visas.

The European Council’s decision on the suspension of the simplified visa regime with Russia came into force on Monday. The European Union has violated this agreement, as it envisages its suspension only 90 days after the notification of the other side about the decision, which was made by the European Council on September 9.

Under the EU decision, the short-term Schengen visa fee is increased from 35 to 80 euro, the visa application consideration term is increased to up to 45 days, the number of documents attached to the visa application is also increased. Apart from that, EU countries can deny visas, grant visa only for the duration of a trip or issue single instead of multiple visas. The European Council also allowed member countries to impose additional restrictions on the national level, up to cancelling valid visas at the border for reasons of security.