From now on, Russian citizens are prohibited from entering Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland with tourist Schengen visas issued in any EU country. They can cross the land border with the EU only in Finland.
The respective orders of the mentioned countries entered into force on September 19, 2022.
"Now it is impossible to guarantee that Russian tourists arriving through Estonia to the EU do not pose a security risk," the prime ministers of the four countries explained their decision.
Exceptions apply only to truck drivers, diplomats and those entering the country for humanitarian reasons.
Switzerland also now suspends the simplified procedure for issuing visas to Russians in order to follow EU policy. Otherwise, the country will face a significant increase in applications from Russians for Swiss visas.
Russian citizens currently have about one million valid Schengen visas. Anita Hipper, representative of the European Commission, told Politico about this. Obviously, this number does not include residence permits in EU countries issued to Russian citizens. The population of Russia is about 145 million people, that is, less than one percent of the countryʼs residents have Schengen visas.
- On September 9, 2022, theEU approved the cancellation of the simplified visa regime with Russia. Now for Russians, the cost of obtaining a Schengen visa will increase from €35 to €80. Additional documents will be required for submission, and the terms of processing and visa issuance will be extended. The rules for issuing multiple "Schengen" will be strengthened. In general, Russians will be checked more thoroughly.