“In accordance with the current agreement between Russia and the European Community on the facilitation of issuing visas to citizens of Russia and the European Union dated May 25, 2006, the previous procedure is in force ... We know that this practice will not change even after the entry into force on February 2 of the new Schengen visa code Of the European Union, ”RIA Novosti quoted him as saying.
According to the diplomat, at the first application, the Russians get a multiple Schengen visa for up to one year, and after using it it is possible to obtain a multiple visa for a period of two to five years.
The representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry noted that most of the Schengen countries issue Russians long-term visas in a simplified manner.
Earlier, the European Commission announced a change since February 2 of the visa fee for Schengen visas, as well as the procedure for obtaining them and the validity period of these documents.