Italy’s embassy in Russia has not changed its procedures for Russians submitting visa applications through intermediaries, the Italian diplomatic mission told the Russian business news outlet RBC.

“No changes have been made to our visa application processing procedures. They can be reviewed on the websites of our consulates general in Moscow and St. Petersburg,” the embassy said.

The AlmavivA visa center, responding to a press inquiry, directed journalists to the Italian Consulate General in Moscow, which sets the rules for accepting documents. The VMS visa center had not responded to RBC’s inquiry at the time of publication.

The day before, the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) reported that VMS and AlmavivA had stopped accepting visa documents through third parties as of May 12 — meaning agents, couriers, authorized representatives, notaries, and lawyers can no longer submit applications on behalf of travelers.

ATOR warned the change would lead to longer wait times for visa appointment slots, linking the new rules to a case involving the illegal issuance of Schengen visas to Russian citizens in Tashkent.

According to European Union data cited by Euractiv, Russians submitted more than 670,000 Schengen visa applications in 2025 — up 8% from 2024. Some 620,000 visas were issued to them, a 10.2% increase from the previous year. Nearly three-quarters of all visa applications from Russians came from France, Italy, and Spain.