Since September 15, the visa center (VFS BY), in coordination with the Italian Embassy in Belarus, has suspended registration of new applicants on the waiting list. “Acceptance of applications is frozen until further notice,” the center’s website reports. According to RSTO, the changes did not affect everyone: tour operators are collecting and submitting tourists’ documents for Italian visas in the usual manner.

Let us recall that changes for tourists were previously reported. The measure was called forced; the visa center is awaiting new instructions from the diplomatic mission, and no reasons were given. Information about the resumption of registration will appear on the official website.

At the same time, for those who have already managed to join the queue, nothing changes: all applications remain valid. As soon as available dates appear, a notification will be sent to the email address specified during registration. Travelers are advised to regularly check their inbox, including the Spam folder.

Applicants are asked to monitor the news on the website and not to send repeated requests. Attempts to duplicate a request will not help move up in the queue or speed up obtaining a date for submitting documents.

Updated

According to the Republican Union of Tourism Organizations, the changes apply to tourists submitting documents for Italian visas individually.

“Companies that are bus operators on the Italian route and accredited with the Italian Embassy report that at present, for everyone planning to go on tours through tour operators, nothing has changed. Travel agencies continue to collect, check, and submit documents in the normal operating mode,” the publication on the RSTO website says.

It is also reported that a meeting of accredited travel agencies with representatives of the visa center and the Italian Embassy in Belarus is scheduled for Monday. It is planned that the issue of possible changes regarding quotas and the procedure for submitting documents will also be discussed.