Visa troubles — I couldn’t make an appointment and news about the Schengen visa

Yesterday, the Spanish visa center published appointment dates available until September 30. But I couldn’t make an appointment because their site kept blocking my IP address and was working very badly. I can understand that the site worked poorly, but I have no idea why they blocked my IP. I even tried changing my IP, but it didn’t help. I used 4 different networks: my home network, my first SIM mobile network, my second SIM mobile network, and my mom’s mobile network. And every time, they blocked me.

Today I decided to check their site again, and this time everything worked. Nobody blocked me, and the site was working fine. I even saw free appointment dates, but unfortunately, I still couldn’t make an appointment. Instead, I got an “undefined error,” and the site redirected me to the homepage. I spent 5 hours on this — yesterday from 6:30 PM to 10 PM, and today from 9 AM until 11 AM. Still, no results.

I also tried checking other countries’ visa websites. First was the French visa center — their site also didn’t work. I couldn’t create an account because I never received the OTP code by email. I tried different email accounts, but it didn’t help. Then I checked the Italian visa center. Their site worked, but the closest available appointment was October 30. That’s too late, and I can’t wait that long.

Now about the Schengen visa news. Yesterday, I saw news on different websites and Telegram channels. European governments are preparing a 19th package of sanctions, and these sanctions might include restrictions on Schengen visas for Russian citizens. However, this information is not final yet. We have to wait until September 12. On September 12, they will provide the final information, and then we will know whether Russians can still get Schengen visas or not.