The European Union plans to further tighten visa restrictions for Russian citizens, effectively stopping the issuance of multiple-entry Schengen visas.
This is reported by Politico, citing sources.
Yes, Russians will only be able to obtain single-entry visas — except in humanitarian cases or if a person has dual EU citizenship.
New restrictions could be adopted as early as this week. Also, as part of the 19th package of sanctions, the EU wants to restrict the movement of Russian diplomats and require them to notify in advance of their trips through Schengen.
And next month, the European Commission will present a new common visa strategy, which will include stricter criteria for citizens of Russia and other "hostile countries".
The EU has already canceled the visa facilitation agreement and made the process more expensive. Some countries, such as Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, have completely or partially banned Russians from entering.
At the same time, issuing visas remains the responsibility of national authorities, so the European Commission cannot completely ban the entry of Russian citizens, but only make it more difficult.
According to the European Commission, in 2024, Russians received over 500 000 Schengen visas — more than in 2023, but significantly fewer than before the war (over 4 million in 2019). Hungary, France, Spain, and Italy are the most liberal in issuing visas.
- On October 23, the European Union finally approved the 19th package of sanctions against Russia. The new package of restrictions targets, among others, Russian banks, cryptocurrency exchanges, and organizations in India and China. The EU is restricting the movement of Russian diplomats to counter attempts at destabilization.
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