Tourism

Free annual multi-visa to Italy: for Russians, a dream has come true

In September 2013, the Year of Tourism of Italy and Russia 2013/2014 began. In connection with this event, the Consulate General of Italy, located in St. Petersburg, decided to make a kind of gift to the Russians - a free annual visa to Italy!

For starters, a little background ...

Russians in Italy

In 2012, about 800 thousand Russians visited Italy (against 120 thousand Italians who visited Russia). At the same time, they left more than a billion euros in the country (over the past five years this figure has increased by 250%), while the total expenses of Russians abroad amount to about 25 billion euros. According to Andrea Babbi, head of the Italian National Tourism Authority (ENIT), “the most generous tourist is a Russian tourist,” according to statistics, Russians spend an average of 194 euros a day in Italy. Already they are followed by the Japanese with 152 euros and the Americans with 114 euros. But that is not all. According to ENIT forecasts, despite the fact that over the past 10 years, the flow of Russian tourists going on a beach holiday to Italy has doubled already, in the next three years, a double increase in the number of visits to Italy by Russians is again expected.

Therefore, it is not surprising that the Italian government decided to simplify the procedure for obtaining visas for Russians. The website of the Italian Consulate General in St. Petersburg describes two key positions related to simplification of the procedure:

Long-stay multiple entry visas

  • Each visa request will be considered individually, however, in general, Russians who already had a Schengen visa (not necessarily issued by the Italian embassy, ​​but also by any other representative office of the European Union) will be able to get a multiple-entry visa for one year;
  • Those who have two or more Schengen visas in their passport (also not necessarily Italian) will receive a multi-Schengen for two years;
  • And avid travelers who have already obtained an annual visa in the past will have the opportunity to request a visa for a longer period - up to 3 years.

Visa free

Throughout the Year of Tourism of Italy and Russia, visas will be issued free of charge to the following categories of people:

  • participants in events related to the Year of Tourism;
  • applicants interested in the further development of tourism between countries: tour operators, heads of travel agencies, heads and responsible persons of travel associations and newspapers, journalists in the field of tourism.

I would especially like to note that now Visas for children under 18 years of age and for students became free.

Watch the video: Five Most Valuable Passports for Visa-Free Travel (November 2024).

Popular Posts

Category Tourism, Next Article

Arena of the Roman Colosseum going to rebuild
Culture

Arena of the Roman Colosseum going to rebuild

Italian Culture Minister Dario Franceschini expressed his support for the restoration plan for the Colosseum arena, which implies a large-scale change in the scene on which battles between gladiators and wild animals took place. The Roman amphitheater, erected back in 80 AD, had an arena with wooden floors covered with sand, masking many tunnels through which brave gladiators got into the arena a long time ago.
Read More
Clooney and the "forbidden" photo on the background of "Last Supper" by Leonardo
Culture

Clooney and the "forbidden" photo on the background of "Last Supper" by Leonardo

George Clooney and the cast of Treasure Hunters have received personal permission to take photos against the backdrop of the Last Supper fresco by Leonardo from the chief ranger. A memorable photo that not all tourists can afford: George Clooney and most of the cast of his new film “Treasure Hunters” against the backdrop of “Last Supper” by Leonardo Da Vinci in the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan.
Read More
Colosseum will not work on Museum Night
Culture

Colosseum will not work on Museum Night

May 17, 2014 in Rome will host the Night of Museums. But one of the main symbols of Italy, the Colosseum, will be closed: there were not five volunteers among the staff. Saturday May 17th will be an important day for Italian culture (and tourism): state and regional museums will be open from 20 to 24 hours for the International Museum Night, the sixth consecutive night in Rome.
Read More
Half of Italians have not read a single book in 2013
Culture

Half of Italians have not read a single book in 2013

Recently, the past 2013 did not become truly cultural for Italians, the newspaper Il Isole 24 Ore notes. According to the latest data, the inhabitants of the sunny country were so busy that they simply did not have enough time, or perhaps the desire, to read at least one book. A recent study showed that 39 percent of Italians (which is 3.7 percent more than in the previous 2012) did not participate in any cultural events.
Read More