Italian visa centers have stopped accepting documents for Russian travelers via intermediaries following a scandal involving an alleged illicit Schengen visa scheme, the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) said Thursday.
“Agents, couriers, authorized representatives, notaries and lawyers can no longer submit applications on behalf of a tourist,” ATOR said in a statement.
“Applicants must now appear in person at the visa center at their scheduled time with passports and a confirmed online appointment,” it added.
The change was reportedly enacted after the arrest of Italy’s former ambassador in Uzbekistan over an alleged scheme involving illicit Schengen visa approvals.
Investigators accused the ambassador and his assistant, an ethnic Russian, of issuing one-to-three-year Schengen visas to 95 Russians who failed to meet entry requirements, according to ATOR.
