The Association of Tourist Operators of Russia (ATOR) reports that it has become more difficult for Russian citizens to obtain a visa to Cyprus. The list of required documents has been expanded, and the period for their consideration has been significantly increased.
ATOR refers to the list of documents sent out by the Consulate of the Republic of Cyprus. They are required to apply for a short-term visa in the Russian Federation. “In fact, now the visa requirements for Russians are the same as the Schengen ones, although the Cyprus visa remains not Schengen, but purely national,” the association notes.
Major changes to visa requirements:
1. Increasing the period for reviewing documents: now it is necessary to submit documents 15 calendar days before departure. Previously, documents could be accepted in 3-4 days and still have time to issue a visa.
2. Changes in documents: - an extract from the Social Fund of the Russian Federation for the last 10 years with a digital signature is now required; - bank account statements with all transactions for the last three months; - salary information from the employer is now required for six months. Previously, it was possible to simply indicate the monthly salary in the income certificate; copies of all pages of the internal passport with marks on them. Previously, a title page and a registration page were enough; the sponsorship letter should now be more informative. It should indicate the destination, the timing of the visit, as well as all expenses paid by the sponsor.
How will the new rules affect tourist flow?
The travel agency that ATOR contacted for comment is concerned. It believes that tightening visa procedures will negatively affect the flow of tourists from Russia. “And now the destination cannot boast the same flow of tourists as it had during direct flights to the island. It is worth noting that even before the update of visa rules, obtaining a visa was a rather complicated procedure. This limited the flow of tourists, especially given the lack of direct transportation. Now Cyprus is on a par with the Schengen zone, where almost similar visa requirements apply. In addition, Russians do not have many opportunities to get to Cyprus. Air traffic is limited, and the main route is through Yerevan. However, this is clearly not enough to ensure a significant tourist flow. At the same time, transit through Istanbul is completely excluded due to the lack of air traffic. Flights from Dubai and Doha are operated to a limited extent,” experts say.
The list of documents for a Cyprus visa can be found here.
The text was prepared based on materials from Kommersant and the Association of Tour Operators
