The European Union is set to tighten visa rules for Russian citizens, ending the visa regime that allowed multiple crossings of Schengen borders, Politico reports.
This marks another step in the bloc’s efforts to punish Moscow for its continued war in Ukraine, and Russian citizens will now receive single-entry visas. Exceptions will only be made for humanitarian reasons, as well as in cases where the person also holds EU citizenship.
It is already more expensive and more difficult for Russian citizens to obtain visas. The visa regime agreement with Moscow was terminated in 2022. Some member states, such as the Baltic states, have gone a step further and banned or significantly restricted the entry of citizens of Russia.
At the same time, issuing visas is left to each country,
and while the European Commission can make the process more complicated, it cannot completely ban Russian citizens from entering the bloc. In 2024, more than half a million citizens of the aggressor state received Schengen visas, which is more than in 2023, but significantly less than before the start of the full-scale war. For example, in 2019, more than four million Russian citizens received Schengen visas. Hungary, France, Spain and Italy continue to issue tourist visas to Russians freely.
The new, stricter rules are part of the 19th sanctions package. The EU plans to restrict the movement of Russian diplomats, requiring them to notify the relevant countries in advance if they intend to travel to the Schengen area. This is done to limit the Kremlin’s increasingly extensive intelligence activities.
The EC plans to publish a new visa strategy in December that will apply to all member states. It will include common recommendations, including calls to adjust visa policies towards citizens of hostile countries and stricter application of criteria for Russian citizens.
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