Eight Cyprus visa application centres begin operating in Russia
Eight Cyprus visa centers will open across Russia; previously, visas could only be obtained at consulates. In August, Slovakia resumed issuing tourist visas to Russians.
Cyprus will open a network of visa centers in Russia on December 15, serviced by BLS International. This was announced on the official website of the Cyprus Embassy in Moscow.
"The Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus in Moscow and its Consulates General in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, and Krasnodar announce that, effective December 15, 2025, they will begin collaborating with BLS International to process visa applications," the statement read.
Applicants can now submit their visa applications at designated visa application centers operated by BLS International. The service fee for submitting an application at a visa application center is €1.50 excluding VAT (approximately ₽140). A consular fee is also required, which, as noted by the Association of Tour Operators of Russia, is €90 for a short-term Category C visa and €45 for children aged 6 to 11 years old.
Visa application centres will open in the following cities on December 15:
- Moscow - Kosmodamianskaya embankment, 52, building 7;
- Saint Petersburg — Liteiny Ave., 26, office 223;
- Kazan - Pushkin st., 12, Business center "Credit House", office 204;
- Samara - Novo-Sadovaya st., 106, ZIM business center, office 8A 21;
- Nizhny Novgorod - Belinsky st., 32, office 3;
- Ekaterinburg - st. Chelyuskintsev, 2/st. Sheinkmana, 5 (BC "Mikron"), 2nd floor, office 23B, 620014;
- Rostov-on-Don - Pushkinskaya St., 46, 3rd floor, room 2;
- Novosibirsk - Frunze st., 86, office 314, Business Center "Technokom".
Applicants will be able to submit documents without an appointment. Standard services will be available at visa centers, as well as a VIP lounge.
In addition, one center each opened in Minsk, Belarus, and Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Cyprus has been a member of the European Union since 2004, joining the eurozone in 2008. Along with Ireland, it is the last EU country outside the Schengen Area.
Starting in October 2025, Russian citizens applying for a visa to Cyprus will be required to undergo biometric verification. The Cyprus Embassy in Moscow previously announced that this requires the applicant's personal presence upon submission of documents. An exception is children under 12, who are exempt from submitting fingerprints. Therefore, remote application submission through tour operators and travel agents will no longer be available.
To enter Cyprus, Russian citizens require a valid Schengen visa or a Cypriot national visa, issued through consular offices or visa centers.
At the beginning of the year, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides stated that the country intends to resolve all issues related to joining the Schengen zone by 2025.
In December 2024, Cypriot authorities introduced stricter visa requirements for Russian citizens. As reported by the Association of Tour Operators of Russia, the application processing time was extended to 15 days, and the list of required documents was expanded, including statements from the Russian Social Fund and bank statements.
In August 2025, Slovakia resumed issuing tourist visas , with visa centers operating in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Slovakia stopped accepting applications for this type of visa in 2022.
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