Subsequent to the announcement from the “Pasok tourism section” on the matter of the issuing of entry visas to Russian tourists, the Foreign Ministry notifies interested members of the public and entrepreneurs in the tourism sector of the following:
(a) The new VIS system for the issuing of entry visas in any country in the Schengen area requires that interested parties submit their applications in person at a visa application center (VAC) and provide biometric data that is then crosschecked – for security reasons – against national and European databases. Due to the new procedures, the system is extremely secure, albeit demanding.
(b) While the Schengen countries knew of the deadline for mandatory implementation of the system since at least 2013, it was the current government, with the Foreign Ministry, that drew up a plan for bolstering the consular missions in all countries of implementation, and primarily in Russia, from which a large number of tourists are expected to visit Greece. The plan included bolstering consular missions with equipment and personnel, as well as urgent improvement of the software that is used and that decisively impacts the speedy processing of visa applications. The actions provided for are being carried out without delay, based on a timetable, and more has already been done in the space of 120 days to bolster the visa sections of our consular missions than was done in previous years.
(c) In particular at our three consular missions in Russia (Moscow, St. Petersburg and Novorossiysk), visas are being issued smoothly, with no cases, to date, of missed trips resulting from delayed issuing of visas – at least by fault of the consular missions. Under the current conditions of demand on and staffing of the consular missions, visas are issued within 24 to 48 hours in St. Petersburg and Novorossiysk, while in Moscow, where demand is higher, instructions have been issued for travelers’ applications to be processed by priority in 3 to 5 days, so that no trips are missed. Moreover, our consular mission in Moscow was bolstered with 10 additional seconded personnel on Friday, 6 May, and 20 additional seasonal personnel will start work within the current week. Through to the end of May, some 30 additional staff will be added, so that the time required to issue a visa can be reduced to close to that required at the other two consulates.
Consequently, the vague statements, repeated in various quarters, as to “cancelations of group trips, conferences, etc., that did not receive visas in time” are not borne out by the reality of the situation or by the daily reports from the heads of consular missions. What is happening, in fact, is that the personnel at these missions have worked hard, day and night, to avert the loss of single trip and to protect the image of the country and the national economy.
The information provided by the Foreign Ministry is backed by the relevant statement from Dmitry Gorin, a General Director of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia: “The Greek consulate and the Greek visa centers underwent a serious test before the May holidays, and they stood up under great pressure,” which, he noted, “proves the popularity of the Greek destination among Russians. It is clear that Greece will be one of the most popular summer destinations among Russians in 2016. […] Given that the Greek embassy and consulate have taken drastic measures to deal with the difficult situation with the visas, people believed even more in this country’s dedication to Russian tourists. I think that Greece will be among the top three destinations this summer.”
(d) The “Pasok tourism section” refers anew to the photographs of tourists waiting in line to submit applications at one of the two private VACs in Moscow. It was explained in a previous Foreign Ministry press release that this phenomenon was seen on only a single day, when the managers of the VACs in question invited the public to submit applications without making appointments. From that day on – by order of the Moscow Consulate General – the appointment procedure has been followed carefully, while in spot inspections carried out in the intervening time at the two VACs, arrival of applicants has been orderly and by appointment.
(e) Moreover, the “Pasok tourism section” refers to an inaccurate announcement from the private operators of the VAC, according to which “the minimum time for the issuing of a visa is ten days.” In fact, in accordance with the regulations in effect for all Schengen countries, the visa is issued by the consular mission – provided the application is complete – within ten days. The VAC operators posted the incorrect announcement on their website without the approval of our consular mission in Moscow, and the inaccurate announcement was corrected immediately upon request of our consular mission in Moscow.
The Foreign Ministry is working ceaselessly to ensure that potential visitors to our country are served in a timely manner and that our national economy benefits fully from tourism.
May 9, 2016