Germany has tightened visa requirements for Russians

Germany has strengthened the procedure for issuing visas to citizens of Russia.

DW writes about this with reference to the data of VisaMetric, the official service partner of the German representation in Russia.

Now, to obtain a tourist visa, Russians must provide medical insurance issued in the European Union (insurance from the Russian Federation will not be accepted), as well as provide financial guarantees — they must provide a statement from a bank that operates in EU member states.

This is a requirement for obtaining a tourist visa, business visa, visa for private visits, for treatment and participation in scientific, cultural and sports events.

In addition, Russian citizens must provide proof of paid round-trip tickets and proof of paid accommodation.

• At the beginning of September, the countries of the European Union terminated the simplified visa regime with Russia. The European Commission recommended that member states introduce a stricter approach to issuing Schengen visas to Russians. The Baltic countries, Poland, the Czech Republic and Finland have closed their borders to Russian tourists altogether.