Wayward tags: The EU is discussing a ban on issuing tourist visas to all Russians
Brussels is considering ending the issuance of tourist visas to Russian citizens, Izvestia found out. The European Parliament believes that such measures are aimed at destabilizing Russian society before the State Duma elections. Earlier, the European Commission announced the introduction of an entry ban for all those who have served in the Russian Armed Forces since February 2022. The United Kingdom supports such measures, the Embassy of the Kingdom in the Russian Federation told Izvestia. Experts note that the EC will not be able to completely ban the issuance of visas to tourists from the Russian Federation due to the position of the countries of Southern Europe. Therefore, Brussels is likely to continue to tighten visa rules and convince EU countries to close their borders to Russian tourists.
New restrictions for tourists from the Russian Federation
The European Commission is discussing the introduction of a complete ban on the issuance of tourist visas to Russian citizens, a European source told Izvestia. Earlier, such a proposal was made by the faction of the German CDU/CSU bloc in the European Parliament.
"These proposals are being discussed in coordination with the EU member states," the source said.
Izvestia sent a request to the European Commission. The specific timing of the possible ban is unknown, as is the fact whether it will be possible to reach a consensus on this issue. European Parliament deputy Fernand Kartheiser told Izvestia that the purpose of the visa bans under discussion is to destabilize Russian society ahead of the Russian State Duma elections.
Earlier, the European Commission proposed to ban entry to the EU for all participants of its activities in Ukraine. At the same time, millions of people will potentially be banned, as it will apply to all those who have served in the Russian Armed Forces since February 2022, EC President Ursula von der Leyen said. According to Bloomberg, Italy and France fear that such a measure could lead to a complete ban on entry for all Russians.
Moreover, it is not only the EU that is considering measures against its participants. The UK is "actively working with European partners to reduce the risks posed by former Russian combatants who pose a threat to national security," the kingdom's embassy in Moscow told Izvestia.
It is noteworthy that on June 29, Hungary suspended the acceptance of visa applications in Kazan, Samara and Ufa. Earlier, Cyprus visa centers in Russia stopped working, although Nicosia still issues visas at consulates.
In early June, nine EU countries — Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Estonia, Finland, the Czech Republic, Sweden — as well as Iceland and Norway demanded that the EC tighten entry for Russians to the Schengen area ahead of the summer holiday season. By the way, it was these countries, as well as Belgium, that stopped issuing tourist Schengen to Russians back in 2022. At the same time, Russians still have access to other types of visas, for example, for family reunification. The Schengen area includes all EU countries except Ireland and Cyprus, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
Visa policy issues are the responsibility of the EU member states, and the European Commission can only coordinate the rules and make recommendations. Brussels is actively using these opportunities.: Back in 2022, the EC tightened the rules for Russians to obtain Schengen visas — in particular, the visa fee increased from €35 to €80. In November last year, most Russians lost the right to multiple-entry visas. The European Commission promises to introduce new restrictions in 2027.
It is legally difficult to prohibit the issuance of tourist visas based on nationality due to EU Regulation No. 810/2009, which is often referred to as the "Visa Code". However, Article 32 of this document allows to refuse a visa if the applicant is considered "a threat to public order, internal security or international relations of any of the Member States." Among other things, the authors of the idea of a ban on entry to the EU for its participants rely on this provision. It is quite possible that further visa restrictions on Russians will be justified precisely by security issues.
Which countries can block this decision?
In the first two quarters of 2026, the number of Schengen tourist visas issued to Russians increased by 21%, Dmitry Gorin, vice president of the Russian Union of Travel Industry (PCT), told Izvestia. According to him, this is due, among other things, to a reduction in the number of issued multivisa, since now tourists must receive a document for the duration of a specific trip.
According to European statistics, Italy, Spain and France account for the vast majority of more than 600,000 visas issued to Russians. The growing demand for them has already led to an increase in the processing time of Italian visa centers (up to 60 days) and Spain (up to 45 days). However, these figures are significantly lower than in pre-pandemic 2019, when 4 million visas were issued to Russians.
According to European political scientist Egor Belyachkov, the countries of Southern Europe remain the most interested in maintaining the issuance of tourist visas to Russian citizens: Greece, Italy, Spain, Cyprus, France. On the contrary, the economies of the Nordic countries are less focused on the tourism component, especially tourists from Russia.
Slovakia, which is currently favorably disposed towards the Russian Federation, may oppose the proposed restrictions. Bulgaria's new Prime Minister Rumen Radev has publicly criticized the contents of the 21st package of sanctions against Russia. It is also important that visa bans will not achieve their goal and will damage the European economy, said MEP Kartheiser.
At the moment, the EU leadership does not have the legal ability to prohibit the issuance of tourist visas to Russian citizens. However, the intention to close entry to the EU to all participants in the CBO shows that Brussels is moving from restrictions on individuals to bans for entire social groups. However, it will be difficult to achieve unanimous support on such a sensitive issue, since this is how the EU will eliminate the last humanitarian ties with the Russian Federation. Therefore, the most likely scenario is a gradual reduction in the number of countries that issue tourist visas to Russians and more complicated rules for obtaining them.
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