The European Union is preparing new recommendations to tighten restrictions on visa issuance for Russian citizens and other countries deemed hostile to the EU. The document is expected to be published by the end of 2025 and will include stricter criteria for obtaining entry permits to the member states of the bloc.
This is reported by Finway
Features of the Upcoming Recommendations
According to European diplomats, the idea of implementing such measures has been discussed in Brussels for several years. Representatives of countries bordering Russia have repeatedly insisted on the need to strengthen the rules for Russians applying for Schengen visas. One diplomat emphasized that these changes were “long overdue.”
“Two European diplomats from countries bordering Russia stated that their governments have been lobbying in Brussels for years for the issuance of such recommendations, while one diplomat referred to them as ‘long overdue.’
As noted by a representative of the European Commission, the upcoming EU strategy will be advisory in nature and will not be mandatory for all member states to implement. The primary focus will be on strengthening criteria for Russian citizens seeking visas to EU countries. At the same time, these recommendations are not related to a possible complete ban on visa issuance, which is being considered within the next package of sanctions against Russia.
Different Approaches Among EU Member States
It is worth recalling that in September 2022, the EU canceled the agreement on the simplification of the visa regime with Russia, making the application process more expensive and complicated for citizens of that country. However, the issue of visa issuance remains within the competence of each individual member state, and the European Commission does not have the authority to impose a general ban on the entry of Russians.
As a result, the policy regarding visa issuance to Russian citizens in EU countries varies significantly. In particular, Poland, the Czech Republic, Finland, Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania either completely block or significantly restrict visa issuance, except for specific humanitarian cases. Meanwhile, Hungary, France, Spain, and Italy remain more lenient on this issue and continue to issue visas to Russians in a more liberal manner.
In 2024, over half a million Schengen visas were issued to Russian citizens, which is significantly more than in 2023, although this number remains substantially lower than pre-war levels: in 2019, Russians received over 4 million visas, according to European Commission data.