Cyprus suspends visa centre operations across Russia

Cyprus has announced the suspension of operations at all visa centres in Russia, a statement from the Embassy of Cyprus announced.

Beginning June 15, visa applications will only be accepted directly at the consular section of the embassy in Moscow, as well as at the Consulates General in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, and Krasnodar, The Moscow Times reports. 

The diplomatic mission stated that, from June 13, the processing of visa applications through BLS International visa centres will be discontinued due to the expiration of the existing contract.

Applicants who submitted their documents before June 11 will still be able to collect their passports at the centres where their applications were originally submitted. The embassy added that it expects to conclude a new agreement with an external visa service provider in the near future.

At present, entry to Cyprus for Russian citizens is permitted either with a national Cypriot visa or with a valid Schengen visa issued by another country. The visa application procedure for Cypriot visas was amended in October 2025, when the mandatory collection of biometric data was introduced, requiring applicants to appear in person.

Cyprus is a member of the European Union but is not part of the Schengen Area and issues its own national visas. Passengers traveling to the island from other European countries are subject to border controls. Cyprus and Ireland are currently the only EU member states outside the Schengen Area. After joining the EU in 2004, Cyprus committed to joining the Schengen Area and formally submitted its application in September 2019.

Following the start of the Russia–Ukraine war, Cyprus tightened oversight of Russian capital and compliance with European Union sanctions. Authorities, together with the FBI, conducted investigations into Russian businessmen and their financial structures. The country also revised its “golden passport” program, revoking citizenship from dozens of investors and their family members in recent years, including businessmen Oleg Deripaska, Mikhail Gutseriev, Igor Kesaev, Alexey Kuzmichev, Alexander Ponomarenko, Vadim Moshkovich, and Sergey Lomakin.

By Vafa Guliyeva