Greece is the country for which a trip to tourists has long been remembered. Here they not only sunbathe and bathe, but also gain access to ancient history, which left the descendants a legacy of many unique cultural and historical monuments. Traveling to the mainland and island of Greece is equally interesting, but almost all tourists say that it is impossible to penetrate the spirit of the Hellenic country without its most important island - Crete.
This place is often called the “revived history”, because here the ancient legends take on a completely different sound, and the ruins are presented simply in incredible light. Many of our compatriots dream of a trip to this mysterious island, but the notorious visa issue often acts as a deterrent. Russian tourists are worried about whether they need a visa to Crete, how to get the documents done faster, and how much they will have to pay for the coveted stamp in the foreign passport. Our compatriots are also thinking about how to correctly fill out the package of documents.
If you, like many tourists, are puzzled by these questions, then you should carefully read our article. From it you will receive comprehensive information about whether a visa to Crete is necessary for Russians in 2017 and about all the features of its registration.
Draw up or not: answer a burning question
Do I need a visa to Crete? This topic worries many Russians planning a trip to this truly fabulous island. For some reason, most of our compatriots believe that no additional documents need to be issued for traveling to Crete. We think that we will once and for all dispel your doubts - all those traveling to Crete need a visa. In this case, the purpose of your trip does not matter, in any case, you must have a stamp in your passport giving the right to enter the country.
If you remember that Greece is part of the Schengen Agreement, the question of whether a visa to Crete is needed will disappear by itself. In order to get to the island, you must have the same notorious Schengen, which is required for trips to Europe.
Keep in mind that the said visa gives the traveler the right to visit any of the twenty-six countries included in the agreement. But do not forget that you can use either an ordinary Schengen visa or a Greek visa to travel to Crete. But in the latter case, you will have the right to be only in Greece. This nuance is forgotten by many Russian tourists who initially planned to visit several countries, but did not take into account the peculiarities of paperwork for a visa to Crete.
Ways of paperwork
Do we need a visa to Crete, we have already found out. The next important step in planning a trip is the choice of the way in which you will begin to draw up a package of documents. At present, there are three of them:
- Consulate. Having found out whether a visa to the island of Crete is needed, most Russian tourists decide to go to the consulate to draw up a package of documents. This method is considered one of the easiest, but it has several pitfalls. First of all, admission is only by appointment, so not everyone is ready to wait a week to submit papers. Moreover, this can only be done in several large cities of our country.
- Visa Center. This is the total mass of tourists thinking about how to get a visa to Crete. Visa centers are located in many cities, have a flexible work schedule and make it possible to arrange health insurance or copy documents in parallel. Keep in mind that if you use this option, then a visa to travel to Crete will cost a little more than in the previous version. However, tourists will be able to use the services of a courier who will deliver a finished passport directly to the client's home address.
- Tourist agency. Quite often, tourists use the services of specialists who are ready to take care of all the questions on applying for a visa to Crete for Russians. In 2017, only specially accredited travel agencies can perform such actions. To the delight of travelers, most of these organizations. They require a minimum number of documents from customers and themselves contact the representatives of the embassy. Also, travel agents help fill out a questionnaire and act as a guarantor of your solvency when submitting documents.
Whichever option you choose, a Schengen visa will be issued on time.
Visa Categories
A tourist trip to Crete requires a visa. We have already found out this point, but many travelers are worried about what kind of Schengen it is necessary to collect paper. Usually for a short trip as part of a tour purchased, it is enough to get an ordinary tourist visa. It allows a Russian to stay in Greece for up to three months. This time is enough to have a good rest, take part in competitions or business negotiations. This type of Schengen is issued quite simply and has virtually no refusal to issue.
If you plan to spend at least a year in Greece, you will need a national visa. We’ll clarify right away that some difficulties may arise with its receipt. And the cost of this permission is quite high.
Short-term visa: nuances and features
Paperwork can bring many surprises to inexperienced travelers, so read this section carefully before collecting paper for a trip to Crete and Greece. Do you need a visa, you now know. But few people understand what a short-term visa can be. Usually it differs in the following characteristics:
- by the number of allowed visits;
- by duration of stay in the country.
At the embassy or visa center you can put down a single and double Schengen. Rare lucky ones can count on getting a multivisa. Usually, the first time you apply for Schengen, a Russian gets permission to visit the country once. In the future, he can count on a double visa. In this case, it is necessary to attach to the already collected papers a copy of the previous Schengen.
The validity of the entry permit may also be different. Most often, when you first apply for a visa, you will be confirmed to be in the country for the period of a tour package, adding another fifteen days to this interval.
Crete, visa application: tourist trip
At this stage, our compatriots are experiencing the most excitement, because it is so easy to make a mistake without taking this or that necessary paper with you. But in reality, collecting a package of documents is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. Simply act according to the list:
- Passport for each person who plans to go on a trip. In this case, the document must have at least two free pages.
- Copy of the first page of a foreign passport.
- Copies of all pages of a Russian identity document.
- Copies of an already completed Schengen, if it was affixed in another passport.
- Application form (Latin is used for filling).
- Two photos, made according to the requirements, which can be studied on the website of the visa center.
- Health insurance, which should cover services of approximately thirty thousand euros.
- Documents confirming the solvency of the client (bank statements, certificates of employment, sponsorship letters, and so on).
- Proof of hotel reservation. Also, travelers can attach an invitation letter, a tourist voucher or a rental agreement for real estate.
- Copies of plane tickets.
Traveling with other goals
A Schengen visa is also issued to those who go to Crete not for the purpose of tourism. In this case, the package of documents will be identical to that given in the previous section of the article, but with a small addition. Each traveler must provide an invitation from those people or organizations who need the arrival of a particular Russian. Moreover, the invitation should be formalized with the full details of both parties. The inviting party shall attach a copy of its passport and a bank statement confirming a stable financial condition.
Please note that this document is valid for three months. If, from the moment you receive it, you do not have time to submit papers to the Schengen on time, then you will have to wait for a new invitation.
List of required papers for applying for Schengen minors
Keep in mind that minors must have their own set of documents. They are issued a visa, even in cases where they are inscribed in the passport of one of the parents.
The main securities correspond to the items on the list we provided earlier, however, the consulate or visa center will require additional documents. These include the following list:
- minor birth certificate;
- permission for the removal of the child, which is given by the parent remaining in the homeland;
- in cases when the accompanying persons have already had visas affixed, copies of them must be attached;
- a sponsorship letter in which one of the parents undertakes to pay all expenses for the child and confirms his solvency by an extract from a bank account or a statement of income from the employer.
Children are almost never refused a Schengen visa. According to experts, there are few failures even in cases when travelers fly to Crete with the whole family.
Basic photo requirements
Oddly enough, but quite often tourists take the wrong photo on the Schengen, which in the future serves as the reason for refusing to obtain a visa. Of course, no one is mistaken with the size of the image, but many have problems with the requirements for it.
Remember that your face should occupy at least eighty percent of the picture. Extra items such as glasses and hats are not allowed in the photo. You can not apply images to the package of documents, where part of the face is covered with hair.
It is noteworthy that the picture can not be older than six months. Only in this case will the visa center specialists accept it. The photo itself is carried out in color, the background should be in white or gray shades.
Keep in mind that only documents with high-quality images are accepted for consideration. This primarily concerns photo paper.
The person depicted in the picture should look directly and not grimace.
Terms of consideration of documents
How much is a visa to Crete? Everyone who is awaiting a consulate decision on their issue wants to know this. The main feature of paperwork in Greece is the ease of considering a package of papers. In standard mode, a decision is made in two days. This is enough to check all the documents submitted in the prescribed manner. If the applicant does not have questions, then forty-eight hours after the submission of papers, he receives a passport with a Schengen affixed.
In rare cases, the standard time interval is extended to ten days. Consular officers have the right not to explain the reasons for such a delay. If a traveler has numerous questions, he may be called to the embassy or requested additional documents.
The cost of a visa to Crete
The cheapest way to get a Schengen is to contact the consulate. In this case, the applicant will only have to pay thirty-five euros at the cash desk. Keep in mind that the amount is accepted in rubles. If the package of documents is submitted by a non-Russian citizen, then the cost of a visa for him increases to sixty euros.
The Schengen visa center will cost a little more. In addition to the amount already announced, it will be necessary to pay one thousand one hundred rubles. This money is a service fee for mediation. It is charged to each applicant.
Do not forget that there are certain benefits that exempt from the payment of all specified monetary amounts. For example, children under the age of six can apply for Schengen for free (of course, by an adult representative). A similar benefit exists among disabled people. A full list of beneficiaries can be found on the website of the consulate or visa center.
Keep in mind that if you refuse to issue a visa, no one refunds the money paid. Nor should consular officers explain the reasons for their refusal.
The main causes of failure
Of course, if a similar situation happened to you, then no one will explain to you the specific reasons for what happened. Nevertheless, experts know exactly why some travelers are denied Schengen.
First of all, keep in mind that any mistake in filling out the documents leads to an inevitable failure. A consulate will also arrive if the papers are not delivered in full. In some cases, the package may be returned to the applicant, but most often a person receives a refusal for his carelessness.
If you are suspected of wanting to stay in Greece, then you definitely will not see the coveted Schengen. However, the consulate will not explain to you why the experts came to such a disappointing conclusion on your candidacy.
Naturally, no one will issue a visa to those who already once violated the laws of the European Union, were tried in their own country or ignored the conditions of the visa regime.
Some tips from experienced travelers
Today, there are several ways to apply for a visa. Applicants themselves choose the most suitable option. Some people prefer to come to visa centers, consulates and embassies in person. This method requires time, but gives full confidence that the papers are collected in full and accepted.
You can arrange the submission of documents through a travel agency. We already wrote that a company specialist can fully engage in paperwork. If you are ready to collect them yourself, but do not want to spend time traveling to the visa center, then just contact the agency. For a small amount of money, the specialist will go to the selected institution with your package of documents.
Each applicant can entrust the Schengen process to any other person. To do this, you need to go to a notary public and prepare an official power of attorney to conduct business. In the future, the selected representative, if there is a passport, can not only hand over the collected papers, but also pick up the finished passport.
If the whole family is flying on vacation, then you can entrust the responsible process of obtaining Schengen to one of its members. He should not have a power of attorney with him, but he should definitely take papers with him that confirm family ties. This may be a birth certificate or marriage.
At present, Greek consulates are located in three cities:
Those Russians who submit documents to institutions outside their place of residence need to confirm their residence in a particular city. In the absence of legal confirmation, a visa may be refused.
Keep in mind that documents confirming solvency are valid for no more than one month. A traveler must have at least fifty dollars for one day of vacation. This amount is the same for adults and children.
Those tourists who plan to go to other EU countries after Crete also need to attach proof of reservation and airline tickets for each point of stay to the documents. Otherwise, the consulate may have additional questions.
A trip to Crete is undoubtedly worth the time to apply for a visa. Having done this once, you will never worry about the difficulties of obtaining Schengen. Indeed, each time it will be easier to solve the visa issue. Therefore, feel free to take a tour to Cyprus for the whole family and enjoy your incredible journey to the origins of the great Hellenic civilization.