The Schengen visa is a travel document that allows third-country nationals to visit Spain for up to 90 days within 180 days. It is a short-stay visa that allows travelers to enter Spain and serve as a gateway to all 27 member states of the Schengen region. Russian citizens need to apply for a Spain Schengen Visa before embarking on their travels, as it not only affords entry into Spain but also serves as a gateway to all 27 member states of the Schengen region.
For Russian citizens entering Spain for a short-term tourism purpose, a paper or embassy visa is the only available option. Evisa, Spain e-visa for Russian citizens, is not available. To apply for a visa, applicants must apply at least 15 calendar days prior to their intended travel date and pay all fees in cash.
As of 2024, Russian citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 116 countries and territories, ranking the Russian passport 45th in the world. Many countries temporarily suspend visa issuance and restrict other immigration rules for Russian citizens. A paper or embassy visa is the only available for travelers visiting Spain.
In summary, Russian citizens need to apply for a Schengen visa to enter Spain, which allows them to stay in the Schengen area for up to 90 days for various purposes such as tourism, business, and family visits. As of 2024, Russian citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 116 countries and territories, ranking the Russian passport 45th in the world.
📹 Will I get a visa to Europe as a Russian citizen? // Schengen visa application process
Is this video title a clickbait or do I again monetize my life failures? Watch this video and find out! I always wanted to visit countries …
How long can Russians stay in Spain?
The 90-day rule in Spain imposes a temporal limitation on the duration of stay for visa-exempt foreign nationals, which cannot exceed 90 days. Those intending to extend their stay beyond this period are required to obtain a Schengen, national, or residence permit.
How strong is a Russian passport?
Russia ranks 37th globally in Passport Index ratings, allowing citizens to travel visa-free to 134 countries and territories. A valid passport with at least six months until expiry is required for visa-free travel, and travel insurance may be required by the destination country. Within these countries, there is often a separate section for submitting a Visa on Arrival (VOA) and receiving the visa upon entering the country that issued the visa.
Is Spain friendly with Russia?
The Russian Federation and the Kingdom of Spain, a member of the European Union, have bilateral foreign relations dating back to the 1520s. The first exchange of envoys occurred between Spain and the Grand Duchy of Moscow, with regular embassies established in 1722. The two countries have a long history of cooperation and hostility, with Soviet-Spanish relations reestablishing in 1963 and fully established by 1977. Trade between the two countries reached two billion euros in 2008, and in 2009, an energy agreement was signed, providing national energy companies access to other party’s domestic markets.
Official contacts between the Spanish Empire and the Grand Duchy of Moscow date back to 1519, when King Charles I of Spain informed Grand Duke Vasili III of Russia of his ascension to the Holy Roman Empire. The Spanish Inquisition and the Alhambra Decree expelling Jews from the Kingdom were of particular interest to 16th-century Russian Orthodox clergy, who sought to suppress the Judaizers heresy within the Russian Orthodox Church.
Can Russian citizens travel to Europe without visa?
The Russian and Turkish passports are the highest ranking passports globally, but still require visas for travel to the European Union, the US, the UK, and Canada. As of 2024, Russian citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 120 countries and territories. However, visa requirements were lifted in Micronesia and Mexico since the Soviet Union, and Mexico introduced Electronic Authorization for Russian citizens in November 2010.
What countries can Russians travel to in 2024?
Russia passport holders can travel to 116 visa-free destinations in 2024, including Argentina, Barbados, Belarus, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Israel, Jamaica, and Malaysia. This comprehensive guide provides information on these destinations, including visa-free countries, visa-on-arrival countries, and Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) countries. However, it is essential for Russia passport holders to verify if a visa is required for extended stays beyond the allowed duration or for purposes not covered by the destination country’s Visa Waiver Policy. The list includes 79 visa-exempt countries, but it is crucial for them to check the visa requirements of each country to ensure their travel is within the allowed visa duration.
Which country is visa free to Russia?
Russia offers visa-free travel for up to 90 days to several countries, including Abkhazia, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Iceland, Israel, Macedonia, Nicaragua, Peru, South Ossetia, South Africa, Thailand, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Citizens from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan do not need a visa.
Can Russians get a Schengen visa now?
Russian citizens must apply for a Schengen visa before entering France for travel. Foreign nationals from the European Union, Schengen countries, the United States, UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada can travel visa-free between Schengen nations. However, Russia and the Russian government do not have an agreement for citizens to enter the Schengen area without processing a travel document. To check which documents need to be processed, use the Visa Checker tool.
Are Russians allowed to travel to Spain?
In order to enter Spain and gain access to all 27 Schengen member states, Russian citizens are required to submit an application for a Spain Schengen visa. The visa permits a range of travel activities, including tourism, business, and family visits. Nevertheless, applicants are required to satisfy specific criteria, including having their designated point of entry into Spain.
Can Russians travel to Spain without a visa?
In order to enter Spain and gain access to all 27 Schengen member states, Russian citizens are required to submit an application for a Spain Schengen visa. The visa permits a range of travel activities, including tourism, business, and family visits. Nevertheless, applicants are required to satisfy specific criteria, including having their designated point of entry into Spain.
📹 When Ukrainian refugees meet Russian tourists in Turkey | Focus on Europe
Ukrainian refugees are encountering Russian tourists at Turkish holiday resorts, leading to tensions. Ukrainians express disbelief …
Congratulations Natasha and remember they (the Dutch border force) will stamp your passport/visa with a date in. When you leave Schengen you need to make sure they stamp your passport/visa again with a date out. This is important for future Visa request you want to make. I’ve read some stories from UK residents that got a stamp with date in but on return back to the UK the spanisch border force didn’t stamp it with a date out. (some of the smaller spanisch islands Gran Canaria). So when you return from Spain to Georgia make sure and demand they stamp it with a date out. Some of these UK resident got problems when returning to the EU and where refused entrance because of this missing stamp and date out of Schengen. When you visit The Netherlands please consider to travel out side of Amsterdam too. The Netherlands is small but there is a difference in several area’s of this small country. Amsterdam is a mundane city and there are about 180 different nationalities living/studying and working there. Some tips if i may give you these. The netherlands has some university cities outside of the big 4 Delft, Rotterdam, Groningen en Amsterdam. Enschede, Utrecht, Leiden, Eindhoven Maastricht etc. Things to see : Amsterdam of course. Some smaller villages outside of Amsterdam like Naarden, Volendam, Edam, Alkmaar. Rotterdam (the food hal with food from all over the world but the building it self is a piece of art). Leiden (City walking touir with Wall poems about 120 from diffent countries and writers).
Happy travels, Natasha! I have a Venezuelan passport and while I have Schengen zone visa-free access I had to apply for an American visa recently and it was a very stressful process, the most stressful thing I’ve ever done. I’m glad that it got approved and recently I visited there. I can feel you about that Schengen visa!
My sister’s daughter has been treveling since birth (she is 18 now) through all EU. We are Latvian. She never has seen a border and a border control. I never forgot her reaction when she first time saw a border …. It was priceless. It was back in 2017 when we went to St Petersburg. We realised that so many young people don’t understand what are borders and why we need them. The world changes so fast… Crazy.
Hi Natasha. It’s great that you’re visiting the Netherlands! I’d also recommend considering it as a potential place to immigrate. I’m Italian and moved here five years ago, and the quality of life is exceptional. The salaries are high, personal safety is excellent, and the work culture is fantastic. The country is modern, progressive, and most people are welcoming towards immigrants and the LGBT community. Nearly everyone speaks English fluently, which makes integration easier. However, the weather can be gloomy during winter, and the healthcare system can be challenging—GPs are often conservative with prescriptions and specialist referrals, tending to downplay issues until they become more serious. While Dutch people are polite, they can be reserved when it comes to socializing, but that’s not much of a problem since the expat community here is large and vibrant.
Congratulations Natasha! I hope you enjoy your stay in the EU. If possible, try to visit the ex-Yugoslavia countries, not just the “first world” EU member states. I think you’ll be surprised by the combination of Slavic (especially Balkan) culture and the EU membership such as in Slovenia and Croatia. In any case, stay safe and have a good time. Hopefully soon you’ll be able to live somewhere in the EU and we will be able to witness your experiences from your vlogs 🙂
I’ve been perusal your website since before you left Russia, so basically for years now. I felt a bit sentimental and teary eyed with happiness that you’ve come so far over all this time and now your’e ready to start a new chapter in your life. Good luck to you. I think many of us on here feel happy that you’re looking at a bright future full of promise.
Wow, Natasha! I’m so glad that you can finally visit our countries. I don’t know if you will visit Italy too, but i’m so impatient now to watch your articles from this travel. Have the best trip and have even some little addictional apologize from an EU citizen for every trouble you had to face to plan this trip. Ad maiora, lovely Natasha.
Yay! Nice story. I’m really looking forward to seeing articles about your trip, Natasha. I have a Russian Kiwi friend whose happiest day was when they qualified for a New Zealand passport, and the world suddenly opened. I have taken it for granted to be able to travel and live wherever I want. I have sent a thanks so you can have a coffee and cake on me when you are on your travels.
Lately a lot of russians are getting Romanian citizenship to be able to live and work in any EU country or just settle there (average wage ~2000€). Romania offers easy citizenship if you can provide documents of ancestry and there are many lawyers and companies in Russia that handle everything, including “finding” documents for a long lost relative (grand-grand mother for example) for ancestry. You might want to look into it.
Glad to see you booking tickets to Sweden, I hope you will like my country, it is a great place. If you have any questions, let us know! Nice to see you get the opportunity to visit us in Europe, you deserve it! It is so fun to see you take these steps when looking back to the days in Spassk and before the war. You seem to manage to do everything you put your mind to, glad to see it, way to go! Looking forward to seeing your articles from the countries you will visit. I think I can see and sense a calmer and more happy person compared to your articles made the last 2 years, Tbilisi is a lovely place but it cant be fun to feel like you are locked there indefinitely without a set future.
I had 0 doubt you would get it and am glad that it worked out! Thank you for showing us all the good and bad things you see and I am very happy to watch all the future articles about your travel adventures! ❤ Even with coming around in the world and changing your website name, you will always be that cute and funny laptop lady of the frozen lake 👌😊 And I love it.
Congrats for the Visa! Hope you enjoy your stay in the EU! For immigration, were is my 2 cents as a lawyer: you can get an Argentine passport just by living there for two years. Brazil is 4, Uruguay is 5. You don’t need a visa to come as an Russian tourist and you do qualify for asylum. Mercosur countries are great for Russians – Montevideo, Buenos Aires or Florianópolis – amazing places, low cost of living, no prejudice against Russians (or immigrants in general) and far from any geopolitical drama. Learn spanish or portuguese, live here until you get the citizenship, and you will be an russian-argentinian or russo-brazilian with a very strong passport in a decent progressive democracy.
Bureaucracy can be incredibly frustrating with how slow it works and how many hoops you have to jump through and so on. I went through a permanent residency and then citizenship application for another country many years ago and it took years upon years, and required so many different applications, fees and different appointments and interviews. You just have to dig your heels in and be patient and follow every instruction to the letter. All in all the process took me about 42 months, but in the end I became a citizen and it was all worth it.
Hope you can get it without much problem! If you pass by Barcelona would be lovely to show you around! My girlfriend is from Colombia but she lives in Madrid, so we could show you around there too. Gl and hope you can end in a place where you find happiness without worrying for your safety and freedom 🙂
Congratulations on your Visa! Regarding settling down in Europe: As a former German, I don’t recommend it. High taxes and bureaucracy paired with mediocre infrastructure (including social services) and a rather antisocial mentality. I can’t say anything about Portugal as I haven’t been there yet. European countries I would put on the shortlist: Switzerland, Luxembourg, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway and Ireland. All have their pros and cons. Edit: As a youtuber, you may consider czech republic or other eastern countries as well due to your income situation. Most value for money, with some minor drawbacks. Good luck!
Wow. I spent a few summers with Russian students at a summer school in Germany and they did explain the process to us, and even then it already seemed very stressful. Now that I get to see it first hand from you, it really just hammers down to me just how convenient we have it within the EU and with visa free travel to other countries. Glad you got through it, I wish you all the best and a lot of fun with us in the EU!
I have one visa story that is ancient and probably obsolete, but I’ll tell it anyway. I had a relative visiting Detroit from Iran. She waited until her Visa expired before going in to ask for an extension. Turns out that was a big mistake. If she had gone in the day before it expired she could have got an extension but since she went in the day after it expired, we ended up having an adventure at the immigration office in Detroit. They actually had a mini courtroom to deal with the people whose visas were expired. Once they found out her visa had expired, they whisked us into the courtroom to start deportation proceedings. Somehow I managed to stop the deportation by going up the chain of command and threatening to seek political asylum. They gave her a 6-month extension and within that time she moved to Istanbul and eventually Germany.
Congratulations to your Schengen-Visa ! 🥰 I’m so excited about perusal your upcoming articles and your corresponding impressions of each country ! Since I was living as a German for about 7 years in The Netherlands, I would also like to recommend to you considering ‘Holland’ as a beautiful country to live in. Almost everybody (even little 6 year old kids) speaks perfectly fluent English there, the Dutch culture is renown for its openess and tolerance in general, their own language is a mixture between German and English, the countryside is very flat and provides perfect conditions for bicycle riders, and its location is pretty much in the middle of Europe from where you can also quickly travel to other countries (and this is probably also the reason why many Dutch people love to travel by car with a caravan or a whole motorhome to camping places across Europe). As a consequence I believe you would fit in there pretty well (as I also did before I moved to Prague, CZ) 😎
I am myself an emigrant from Lithuania, now living in Sweden. I also lived in England previously. My family and I have visited several European countries. It’s a shame you didn’t get to experience more of Europe. I believe you would truly appreciate the diversity and culture here. Europe is quite different from America, and I think you would enjoy exploring its unique character. From your articles, it seems that Europe would be more suited to your interests.
Congrats! I hope you get to enjoy your trip. About the residency permit though: the legal residency in Georgia is not a requirement in most embassies in Tbilisi that I checked. As long as you actually live in Georgia for six or more months you are eligible to apply in the country, i.e. you don’t have to travel to Russia to do so. What you’re referring to is a misconception that Roman has been repeating in several of his articles. He had to apply in Serbia because of the arrangements with his agency, not because of any residency requirement. Also, as you mentioned, he was applying to immigrate to Portugal/EU, which is a different process altogether from the visitor visa one.
The difference from an economic point of view between countries like Germany, France, Netherlands and Italy in contrast to eg. Portugal and Greece is that the first mentioned countries have a heavy and pharmaceutical industry as well as a technological industry. Whereas in the other countries, agriculture and tourism are more important.
Here’s a solid piece of advice from me. Go to a nice town in Norway, like Bergen. Ask for a job as a bus driver, or any other job that they don’t find applicants for. You can then get a residential permit based on your work permit. Norway isn’t part of the EU, but it’s in the Schengen zone. Best of both worlds. Good luck.
Great news Natasha. Well done. Well done indeed. Excellent article – your article making techniques just get better and better. Can’t wait for you assessment of the European countries you visit. Getting a Schnengen visa for the first time opens up so much for you and your future. How wonderfully sunny and brighter your life, and things in general are looking for you now. I’m so happy for you.
Great news, think about visiting Spain, I’m a British guy but moved here long time ago, It is getting hard for brits because england left the European Union, now WE have to get visas as well, but that’s life, cannot wait to hear what you discover about Europe, remember, Fun fun fun, have lots of fun! 😎
Safe journey, Natasha. I’m sure you are aware of this already but it’s very important to keep track of the dates when entering and leaving different countries. Especially important now that a lot of countries have moved away from stamping the passport. A key piece of information for any future immigration-related applications. I learned it the hard way.
Hi Natasha, congratulations! Welcome to Europe! And as a Dutchman, I say: Welcome to the Netherlands! I don’t know how many days of your trip you’re going to spend in the Netherlands, but I strongly recommend you to not only visit Amsterdam, but to visit other places as well. Why? Because Amsterdam is so ‘touristified’ that it isn’t really representative for the rest of the country. To experience the real Netherlands, you have to visit other towns and areas. Nonetheless, Amsterdam is definitely worth a visit when you come to the Netherlands for the first time. By the way, the same also goes for other countries and their capitals. I’m looking forward to your vlogs!
When you are in the EU, please visit Poland, and especially Kraków. It’s a very LGBT friendly city by the way, every year on may the 5th we have a pride parade and thousands attend in solidarity. There is even a website called “miejsca przyjazne dla lgbt” and stickers on coffee shops which indicate that. I’d be thrilled to see one episode from Poland, and also other places in Central Europe, like Czechia or Slovakia, Hungary or Austria.
Get a refundable ticket to Amsterdam, book a room for the first four night, and book a room for long stay of 80 day stay in “Lets say Spain”, and a cheap ryanair ticket to that destination. So when you land in Netherlands and check into your hotel in nederland, then you can cancel the refundable hotel room in Spain and off you goo to wherever you want 😊
Natasha, glad you’re continuing to move west. I live in California and for the last half dozen years I’ve been traveling to Europe. I hope you get a chance to explore the south of France and Provence. It’s so pretty and if you’re a food and wine lover, this is the place for you. Portugal is popular with a lot of people because it’s less expensive but Europe has so much to offer. As you know Europe is pretty far north and will start to cool down before too long. The summer crowds should start tapering off and it should be easier to book hotels and trains as you explore it. I hope you have a great time and I’m looking forward to your European travel log. I remember that pretty girl in the blue dress sitting in that freezing pond with the snow around her. Look at how far you’ve come.
I love your attention to detail in your articles and your style of narration. Just in the midst of your explanation about a visa * cluttery 70s escalator * your articles have a very nice flow to themselves. I always think of you as a TV journalist some day. How to make an interesting article of anything anywhere, you already got that.
If you can, come to Groningen, the Netherlands. It’s the most progressive city and it’s really cozy and old and outside the normal tourist trips. Here’s some money to buy yourself a coffee if you get there! ❤ If you need help with travels or accomodations, just hit me up, I have children your age who just moved out and I would be honoured to be your Dutch uncle.
Wow! This visa application was very arduous and leaves you hanging on a thin branch way too long! Congratulations, however on completing this task and now you can see for yourself countries you have only read about or have seen in articles. Have a wonderful trip and experience plus enjoy the food and people in each place you visit. I think that Paris and Rome are must see in my opinion!
Whew! So much suspense! As an American in 1979, I lived with a French family (Moulins). I traveled some … London, Belgium, Netherlands (Utrecht), & West Berlin. It was so easy back then. I think it would be cool if you met someone (Netherlands?) & fell in love & got married. To an awesome woman of course. Then you could stay. If you want. Only if you want. Wishing you all the best. 😊
I am a Polish citizen and I want to say that I am outraged that some European countries accept applications for tourist visas from Russians. What’s more, sometimes they even grant them such visas. Polish diplomatic missions do not accept applications for tourist visas from Russians at all. It does not matter here whether they live in Russia or in another country. Well, but this is an internal problem between us, the countries belonging to the EU.
Hi Natasha, I’m very glad you got your visa and I hope you are having a wonderful time in Europe. Your article makes me realize how lucky we are to be able to travel to other countries so easily. To me, it comes so naturally that I failed to realized that it is not the case for everyone (well I had some ideas when I had to struggle to get Brazilian or Egyptian people to come and work with me). Anyway, I hope you enjoy your trip and, if you want to, chose a country where you would like to live! If you are in France at any time and need any help, please let us know, I’m sure they are many of us here that could help! Have a nice trip!
Congrats Natasha. Im sure you will like many of the cultures of the European Union. Two things if you are inexperienced about the EU-countries. First, please be aware of that there is no shortage of thieves and pickpockets. Tourists are sometimes considered easy to fool victims. Perhaps engage a few internet friends on the way to help you with basics. Second, depending on your mood, since you got 60 days perhaps you don’t need a fully planned itinerary. You speak English very well and I think you can easily communicate with most of the travel services about what you want to do and where to go. From my own experience I learned that sometimes less is more when it comes to traveling. Take care and best of luck
Hey, Natasha! Good luck with your quest for a new home. I would say that Portugal and Germany are very good options if you want to establish a home base in Europe. As I recall, you can request a passport in five years of residency in Portugal. In Germany there’s a new law that you can get a passport in as little as three years with C1 proficiency. Otherwise it’s five too. Good luck with your adventures! 🙂
Congratulations on getting your tourist visa. That was a long and stressful process, just for a tourist visa. I hope that when you visit these countries you will be able to make an educated choice as to which country would suit you best to emigrate to one day. I look forward to your articles from inside Europe. I also watch Roman’s website, and I wonder if you plan to visit with Roman? I hope you have (or had, if you’re already back in Georgia) a wonderful trip.
Nice that you will visit my country. I see you got plenty tips for visting not only Amsterdam. Indeed there are lots of beautful small cities and museums etc in the Netherlands. Zutphen, for example, is a very beautiful, well kept, old city in the east of our country. Though there is plenty room for improvement here too, you will find out that the Netherlands is quite well organised and well kept.
The stupid thing is that once you are there, you don’t even have to follow your travel plans. Nobody is going to care where you are staying or when you are travelling where. The plans and bookings are just to confirm that you are in fact a tourist. So if you are somewhere that you enjoy and want to stay a few more days, feel free to change your bookings.
Hi Natasha! What can we do to convince you to come back to USA! It would be great having you immigrate here. Honestly, wherever you decide to go, I wish you all the best. I’ve been perusal your articles since mid-COVID times and have always enjoyed your point of view. You are a good person. Please keep it up!!!👍
German Passport holder here, born and raised in Germany lived in Portugal for many years, and now in ASEAN since 2019. Darling the European Countries are not as first world as they promise as we have a hefty economic crisis. I do not see my future there. If you go for the holiday it will be costly. You should save the effort and the money. With a lot of love, your faithful fan.
What a stressful process. I’m glad it turned out possitive and hope you have a fantastic trip. One thing i’m a little concerned about: You are a very thoughtful and conscious person. I hope you are prepared to meet people over here, who are much more shallow and very entitled to live a privileged life. You’ve got a lot of european viewers leaving lots of positive comments. Thats great and you earned all that, but thats not a representative group of eu-citizens. I wish it was. I know you spend quite some time in the us, so i guess you know, but i’m not sure.
Hi Naty, I’m happy for you that you got the visa after a long delay. Now that you have it, I would expect that you can change your plans and stay longer in some countries as well as visit additional ones. I think that you will like the Netherlands and its people. My maternal grandfather was born there. My family and I visited decades ago and it was wonderful, especially the seaside towns. Have a great time and I’ll be patiently waiting to see articles of your adventures.
Congrats❤ that’s my dream, but I don’t have an opportunity to get RP in Georgia, so I will try to find a job in Europe, which provides assistance with paperwork. In my childhood I traveled with parents a lot, and memories about European cities settled deeply in my heart✨ I wish you fully enjoying your trip!
Hello Natasha, Belgium Oblast here, I am so glad for you, you will visit UE countries,please try to empty your head of all you had to endure,once you’ll be in Shengen zone, you can travel FREELY through all countries, yes, even you, dear…Appreciate and good luck,you will feel what is UE :yougotthis:
I’ve been perusal your website on and off for many years. I started when you were still in the far east of Russia. And now, it seems you’re planning to go to Stockholm? That’s like 1.5hrs away from where I live, by train. It’s a small world! I can recommend going on a tour of the Stockholm archipelago, it’s stunningly beautiful! Another youtuber I follow and who you might know of, Tom Scott, did actually visit my home town, to make a article about our Christmas Goat, haha.
Europe, without the Russian part is something like size of Australia but with more than 600 million people and no deserts. With gazzillion of nice cities of all sizes. Not even us Europeans will ever see most of it, except through the YouTube vids…There’s 60 cities bigger than million people, there’s hundreds of cities bigger than 250K people.
Congratulations! Portugal has a visa called the Work Search Visa. The requirements are basic and can give you the opportunity to live in this beautiful country. I am from Guatemala and I used to live in Ecuador as a citizen of that country when I applied for the visa for Portugal, so the situation is similar to yours. Visit Portugal, talk to people about that visa and about their experience with it now that you have the opportunity to travel.
Hi Natasha! If you ever dreamed about living in the EU, then you can legally do that even with the tourist shengen visa. Basically, you can come to a country like Spain and apply for residence permit, but within the country. So you will not have to leave the country while they are processing your application. Spain in particular offers the “digital nomad” residency, so if you can show remote income of 2400 EUR then its 99% guaranteed approval. Otherwise, you can explore other countries like Portugal with smaller income requirements.
Natasha, I imagine you have a large number of Americans, like myself, who watch your articles. Curious, at some point in time when an appropriate topic on your article(s), would you revisit what it was like for you to visit the United States on your student Visa. What was your American university experience like? (University of Minnesota?). What classes did you study? What was your social experience like? Plus where else in the USA you visited as a tourist, etc.? What impressed you the most? Or, what did you like best? …Finally, how did you find living in the USA while you were there? Knowing that it is not an option for you, & possibly may never be, but I am curious if you were given the opportunity to move to & live in the USA permanently, would you do so? And, if yes, why? What would draw you to the USA?
Make sure you check the entry time limit. Though since you got 2 months, it’s most likely you got multi-entry visa. And once you have used-up your visa fully within legal limits, next time you can try to attach a separate trip in the future (within a year) with at least some bookings. And explain in a letter that you’d like to visit another time soon. They may endup giving you a longer term visa. And of course after using 3 visas within 2 years, completely legally, they may issue a 1-year visa, and you can build towards a 5-year visa.
Bravo, Natasha, you made it ! Even we Europeans often encounter delays with our embassies and consulates. If you are thinking of emigrating one day, Germany is a pretty good choice: they really do welcome foreigners. However, if you want better food and everyday lifestyle, try France.. Best wishes from a UK-born, naturalized-French, now-living-in-Germany, 80yr-old, convinced European.
You’re asking in the description if this title is clickbait. Typically a title that’s a question is quite clickbait-y, but in this case, it reflects the fact that for a long time, you didn’t know the answer yourself. In any case, the title is not misleading, no false promise and no exaggerated drama, so don’t feel too bad about it.
Unfortunately our prime minister Plenkovic bans Russian citizens from entering Croatia. But Hungary doesn’t. It depends which country you are going to. But most countries will not allow you to enter their states, but you can come to Hungary and once you are in Hungary, you can travel European countries.
A little glimpse into the headache of traveling if you don’t have a “1st world” passport. I had to do this twice in the past while traveling to France before I became a US citizen. The real stressful part is planning everything out months in advance, and booking thousands of dollars worth of flights, train tickets and hotel stays with the risk that you might still get rejected for the visa afterwards. You have to have everyday accounted for an booked, and in my case I was going to stay at my wife’s parents house. So her dad needed to have a document testifying that I would stay at his place, signed at his city hall and then shipped to me as part of the process. After I became a US citizen, it blew my mind that all I need to do is just get on a plane. First worlders really have such privilege in this tiered world they built.
I wish you a wonderful journey, Natasha! 😃 Hope you’ll enjoy it. And always keep in mind that the most cities are not very representative for their country. For example Berlin – sooo dirty and much too noisy (in my opinion), I always think “Germany is so much more (beautiful) than this!” and I guess this is the case with most of the capitals. (But I am not a fan of big cities anyway. 😅) However … Happy exploring 😍😍
Natasha, congratulations to your Schengen visa! Wish you a great, pleasant and enjoyable vacation time on your trip. Make the most out of it 😉 Also, during the travel, please remember to have an eye on your stuff. As much as I’d like to say “there is no crime in the EU”, pick-pocketting of tourists is a thing here (esp. metropolitan areas in France and Spain are notorious for it, as well as all capitals here). Keep your valuables close at your body in the large cities, and don’t keep your luggage unattended in the trains. If in need, I advise to asks senior citizen around you in the train to have a look on your belongings while you’re shortly away – they’re usally quite kind and do that. In smaller cities and towns, you can me relaxed and free-roaming, just as you’re used to. Bon voyage – Fijne vakanties – Schöne Urlaubstage – Buen viaje – Have a good trip !
So much bureaucracy and stress to go through to receive approval to enter the EU. Never forget that you are a well educated, positive and intelligent woman. While you might experience a bit of a culture shock, your visit to the EU should be interesting & enjoyable, and hopefully you will be able to meet-up with Roman in Lisbon. Wishing you all the best for your travels & adventures, and looking forward to viewing your travels vlogs. 👍
If you’d want to relocate, maybe you could apply for a position at an English-speaking tech company in the Baltics. Eg in Estonia, big ones like Wise or Bolt will support relocation, and the government should be able to grant a working visa for Russian citizens. I imagine functions in social media, customer support or KYC could be a good fit.
My opinion: the EU should support Russians who still have common sense and clearly oppose Putin and his regime. We must not forget that the whole turmoil was caused just and only by one single person: Vladimir Putin. No one else. For the future we also must not forget that Russia is an important part of Europe! I always smile when I look at interviews with brainwashed Ruzzians, and when they deny being a part of Europe. My dear Ruzzians, you are a part, if not the geographically biggest, of our European continent. Sorry to disappoint you 😂 I hope you will enjoy your visit to the EU! 😊
What a nightmare was that visa application. I’m glad you managed all the hurdles successfully. Now I’m looking forward to your first few minutes of arrival in a Schengen country. Is it not cost effective to travel by train into the EU from Georgia? You would see such a lot during the journey. Once the visa expires, will it be easier next time to apply for a new one?