On Friday 7 November, the European Commission announced that it had tightened the rules on visas for Russian nationals “in view of the increased security risks stemming from Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine, including the weaponisation of migration, acts of sabotage and the potential misuse of visa”. This decision, notified to the Member States on 7 November, is due to enter into force on Saturday 8 November.
In practical terms, Russian nationals will no longer be able to obtain multiple-entry visas. They will have to apply for a new visa each time they plan to travel to the EU, which, according to the Commission, will allow applications to be examined closely and frequently in order to mitigate any potential security risk. “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”, explained the Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, in a press release. The decision has no retroactive effect.
However, exceptions are made for “limited and justified” cases, such as independent journalists, human rights defenders and representatives of civil society. Close family members of Russian citizens residing in the EU and EU citizens can obtain multiple-entry visas valid for up to one year. Workers in the transport sector can still obtain such a visa for a maximum of nine months.
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.
In September 2022, the EU suspended its visa facilitation agreement with Russia (see EUROPE 13018A10, 13018/11). The number of Schengen visas issued to Russians fell from more than 4 million in 2019 to around 500,000 in 2023, according to the European Commission.
On 23 October, as part of the 19th package of sanctions against Russia, the Member States also decided to restrict the movement of Russian diplomats within the EU (see EUROPE 13737/6).
See the Commission’s decision: https://aeur.eu/f/jcn (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)