EU set to tighten visa rules for Russian nationals

The European Union is preparing to introduce tougher visa restrictions for Russian citizens, following years of pressure from member states along the bloc’s eastern border.

A European Commission official told POLITICO that new guidelines, expected by the end of the year, will recommend stricter criteria for issuing visas to Russian nationals and citizens of other “hostile” countries. While the Commission cannot enforce a bloc-wide ban — as visa policy remains a national competence — the new guidelines aim to create a more unified approach across member states, Caliber.Az reports. 

Two European diplomats from countries bordering Russia said their governments had long pushed for such action, with one calling the upcoming recommendations “long overdue.” The Commission official and diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.

The EU suspended its visa facilitation agreement with Moscow in September 2022, shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. That move made the visa application process for Russians more complicated and expensive. Still, policies on issuing visas vary widely across the EU.

Countries including Poland, Czechia, Finland, Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania have largely halted or severely limited visa applications from Russian nationals, while others such as Hungary, France, Spain, and Italy continue to issue them more freely.

More than 500,000 Schengen visas were granted to Russian citizens in 2024, according to European Commission data — a significant increase from 2023, though still far below the 4 million issued in 2019.

The upcoming strategy, set for release in December, will not impose legally binding rules but will offer common recommendations, with a focus on heightened security. According to a call for evidence issued by Brussels, the guidelines will aim to “focus on addressing emerging challenges, particularly those related to security risks.”

These guidelines are being developed separately from a potential EU-wide visa ban currently under consideration as part of the bloc’s 19th sanctions package against Russia.

Latvia, which stopped issuing tourist visas to Russians three years ago, has voiced strong support for a coordinated EU approach. Foreign Minister Baiba Braže emphasized the importance of unity, saying the EU must “ensure a unified and consistent approach across the EU” when issuing visas to Russian nationals.

However, some members of Russia’s civil society have cautioned against blanket restrictions on ordinary Russians. Yulia Navalnaya, a prominent opposition figure and widow of the late Alexei Navalny, recently expressed concern over reports of an EU-wide tourist visa ban.

In a letter to the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, Navalnaya urged the EU to “make a clear distinction between the responsibility of the regime and ordinary Russians.” She recommended that sanctions target “oligarchs, security officials, propagandists, and other accomplices of the regime.”

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský has also pushed for limiting the movement of Russian diplomats, arguing they pose a security risk.

“It is an unnecessary advantage we give to the Russian regime, and it is being abused to facilitate sabotage operations,” he said last month.

By Sabina Mammadli