12-month Schengen visa in two weeks?

We asked the Polish Embassy whether it could give out visas on such terms.

"It is impossible. You need visa history to get a 12-month Schengen visa. There are strict procedures of giving out Schengen visas valid for consulates of all Schengen members. Speaking about the meditation, 400 euro is a scary sum”.

The Polish consulate says the the organization deceives people and that we should inform the police about it. However, the company does exist - it received registration in Minsk City Executive Committee six months ago.

Euroradio reporter applied for the Schengen visa by phone. We were assured that everything was legal and that there would be no problems with the visa at the border. However, a single-entry visa had to be given out before the 12-month visa if we wanted to go to Poland. But there were other alternatives…

"You can get it for 400 euro without any previous visas. It is expensive because you get it all at once. Otherwise you would have to get a single-entry visa for 120 euro, then a multiple-entry visa for 160 euro but you would have to wait for more than 2 months. We offer a multiple-entry visa in two weeks and you do not need to be present here. That is why the price is so high. But it will be Latvia, Estonia, the Czech Republic... It will not be Poland”.

— What kind of invitation will be there? – I asked. – Does it matter? You will get a visa. Everything is legal and valid, - assured an employee of the company.

We phoned the Czech consulate. They did not exclude the possibility that someone could forge documents. However, they also assured us that a multiple-entry visa could not appear in an empty passport.

"Unfortunately, some accredited travel agencies may offer forged documents. However, we can only give out a single-entry visa if there has never been any other Schengen visas in your passport. I am 99% sure that it is impossible”.

Euroradio visited the office of the company that offered such Schengen visas. The small room without a doorplate was closed. The security guard guessed immediately: “Have you come for a visa?”

"He rarely comes here. He spends a few hours here and runs away”.

According to the security guard, people frequent the office: the service seems to be in demand.

We phoned the company again to ask why the price was so high and how they could give out 12-months visas when all the Embassies claimed that it was impossible.

"We will make a visa for you and you will pay after you receive it. It is absolutely legal. We just have special connections with consulates”, - explains the company offering such Schengen visas.

To tell the truth, many travel agencies offer visa services but they usually give out single-entry visas before making a 12-month visa. Travel agencies are accredited in Embassies and they can present group documents. There can be several alternatives. The company may prepare tourist documents and book a room in a hotel and you will have to go there on your own.

The second variant can be used without any meditation. You can buy invitations to make purchases in some big stores as if you were their patron. The document costs 30 euro.

However, the main problem is not documents but registration. You can register in the Polish consulate for the end of April and May now. You can register for March outside Minsk. Travel agents just look through lists on their computers and register their clients as soon as they notice free days. That is why it is very difficult to register in a consulate without an intermediary.