The European Commission confirms further restrictions on Russian travelers to the EU
Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, said: “Russia’s illegal and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine continues to pose a serious threat to European security, with heightened risks related to sabotage, disinformation and drone incursions in the Union. The EU has consistently tightened entry conditions for Russian nationals since the onset of this illegal aggression. By further restricting visa rules, we are taking an additional and necessary step to safeguard the security of the European Union and its citizens.”
Kaja Kallas, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, said “Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine has created the most dangerous security environment in Europe for decades. We now face unprecedented drone disruptions and sabotage on our soil. We have a duty to protect our citizens. Stricter rules will now apply to Russian nationals requesting a visa to travel to the EU. Traveling to and freely moving within the EU is a privilege not a given.”
Magnus Brunner, Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, added: “The protection of the EU’s external borders requires the implementation of robust and comprehensive visa management rules. Under the newly adopted provisions, all visa applications submitted by nationals of the Russian Federation will be subject to enhanced verification procedures and elevated levels of scrutiny. This will contribute to the integrity and security of the Schengen area.”
Only single-entry visa from now for Russians
From now on, Russian nationals will no longer be able to receive multiple-entry visas. This means Russian nationals will have to apply for a new visa each time they plan to travel to the EU, allowing for close and frequent scrutiny of applicants to mitigate any potential security risk.
The goal is to mitigate threats to public policy and internal security while allowing exceptions for limited and justified cases such as independent journalists and human rights defenders, ensuring uniform application across Member States and preventing circumvention.
This decision is based on a joint assessment by Member States under local Schengen cooperation in Russia and follows the approval by all Member States in the Visa Committee.
Since Russia’s full-scale military invasion of Ukraine, the EU took unprecedented action for Russia to stop its aggression, including the full suspension of the Visa Facilitation Agreement with Russia and the adoption of guidelines to support Member States to deprioritise visas for Russians and refrain issuing them, increasing the security and border controls.
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