Greece has begun issuing widespread Schengen visa refusals to Russian tourists in August 2026, according to travel industry experts in Russia.
Dmitry Gubarev, the director of the Unified Visa Centre agency in Novosibirsk, reported the sudden shift in consulate policy to Russian news outlet Infopro54.ru. He noted that while applications were previously approved without major hurdles, consular officials are now issuing continuous rejections to holidaymakers.
According to Gubarev, visa approvals are currently being granted almost exclusively to applicants who possess a formal invitation. The rejections are being issued without any official explanation or stated motivation, even though all affected tourists had submitted confirmed, fully paid hotel bookings and return transport tickets.
Greece is a member of the European Union and the Schengen Area, a European travel zone that allows border-free movement across 29 participating European countries. Located in southern Europe along the Mediterranean Sea, the nation remains a leading holiday destination for international tourists during the summer season.
Unexplained rejections and transit concerns
Gubarev suggested that Greek consular officials may be concerned that travelers are using Greece merely as a transit point to enter other European Union countries. Many Russian applicants routinely select Greece for Schengen visas because the nation is known for relatively short processing times, usually delivering decisions in no longer than a month even during the busy summer period.
This is not the first time Greek authorities have altered their stance toward visa applicants. A similar wave of widespread rejections occurred between 2020 and 2021 before processing conditions normalized, though Gubarev stated it remains difficult to estimate how long the present situation will persist.
Novosibirsk, located in southwestern Siberia, is Russia's third largest city and serves as a major commercial center where regional travel agencies process visa applications for European destinations. Under standard Schengen travel rules, short-term visas permit visitors to stay up to 90 days within any 180-day period.
Broader European visa disruptions
The visa complications in Greece follow similar disruptions reported at other European diplomatic missions handling travel requests from Russia. The Italian consulate previously retained foreign passports belonging to female tourists from Russia for the entire summer season, leading to severe financial losses and canceled holidays.
In one instance, a traveler saw her holiday reservations completely burn out after her passport was withheld by Italian diplomatic staff for the summer, resulting in a total personal loss of 800,000 rubles.
