Lavrov announced the continuation of EU citizens obtaining visas under a simplified scheme.

Citizens of the European Union (EU) continue to receive Russian visas under the simplified scheme, despite the EU's decision to ban the issuance of multishengens to Russians. This was announced on December 30 by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

"Citizens of EU countries continue to enjoy the benefits of the 2006 bilateral agreement with Russia on visa facilitation," the Russian Foreign Ministry's press service quoted him as saying on its website.

In addition, Lavrov noted that EU residents also have the right to visit Russia using a single electronic visa.

No good: EU demands from Balkan countries to cancel visa-free travel for Russians

Montenegro may take this step as early as 2026, and Serbia and BiH will not yield to pressure yet, experts believe.

On November 5, the German Embassy in Russia announced that in order to enter Germany, Russian citizens will need to have a biometric passport from January 1, 2026. In this case, the exception will be the old-style passports, which already have a valid German visa.

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