The European Commission has officially confirmed the preparation of an updated strategy regarding visa issuance for citizens of the Russian Federation. The relevant document is expected to be presented by the end of the current year.
This is reported by Kyiv24
European Union Tightens Requirements for Russians
As noted by European Commission spokesperson Markus Lammerth, the agreement on the simplification of the visa regime with Russia was suspended back in 2022. Since that year, EU member states have received clear recommendations to limit the priority processing of visa applications from Russians, as well as to emphasize security and border control issues.
“In 2022, we suspended the agreement on the simplification of the visa regime with Russia. Additionally, since 2022, we have also adopted clear recommendations to assist member states in not prioritizing visas for Russians and to underscore the importance of security and border control,” said spokesperson Markus Lammerth during a briefing.
The European Commission is actively monitoring the implementation of these recommendations by member states. Regarding the new visa strategy, Lammerth stated that its publication is planned for the end of the year. During the briefing, he noted that details of the upcoming changes will be revealed later.
Statistics and Future Restrictions
So far, the European Commission has not provided current data on the number of visas issued to Russians in 2025. Meanwhile, according to Markus Lammerth, in 2023, EU countries issued approximately 517,000 visas to Russian citizens, and in 2024, 541,000. For comparison, in 2019, this figure exceeded 4 million.
Recently, it became known that the European Union is preparing to implement stricter restrictions not only for Russian citizens but also for residents of other countries considered hostile. The relevant recommendations are planned to be presented at the end of the year, which could significantly impact the visa application process for Russians.
Following the onset of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation in 2022, the EU canceled the agreement on the simplification of the visa regime with Russia, complicating and increasing the cost of obtaining Schengen visas for citizens of that country. However, the policy regarding visa issuance remains the prerogative of each individual EU member state, so approaches to processing applications may vary significantly.