11 countries called on the EU to stop issuing tourist visas to Russians

The governments of 11 European countries have appealed to the European Commission to tighten visa restrictions for Russian citizens and review the rules for issuing Schengen visas.

This is reported by RMF24 with reference to a letter to the European Commission.

The document was signed by representatives of Poland, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway and Iceland. They emphasize that Russians cannot travel to the EU for vacation amid Russiaʼs war against Ukraine.

According to the authors of the appeal, in 2025 alone, Russian citizens received at least 477.8 000 tourist Schengen visas. The largest number of visas to Russian citizens are issued by France, Italy, Spain, and Greece.

The ministers call on the European Commission to amend the EU Visa Code and introduce additional mandatory restrictions for Russians. They also propose extending restrictions on issuing multiple-entry visas to all Russians, regardless of their country of residence.

• The Euractiv portal, citing internal documents, wrote in May that European countries issued 10.2% more Schengen visas to Russians in 2025 than in 2024. France is in the lead.

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