The route is upset: the EU will discuss a ban on issuing visas to Russians in October.
The leaders of the European Union at the summit on October 15-16 plan to discuss the ban on entry for tourists from the Russian Federation, Izvestia found out. Supporters of this measure include primarily the Baltic States and Scandinavia, as well as the Netherlands and Poland. Germany is also preparing to tighten control due to a new round of anti-Russian hysteria. However, not all countries of the bloc agree with the new restrictions. Slovakia opposes a general ban on Russians entering the EU and continues to issue visas to Russian citizens, Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic Tibor Gaspar told Izvestia. According to media reports, Italy, Spain and France also do not support the bans. Experts believe that Brussels will not be able to achieve a complete cessation of issuing visas to Russians, but new stricter rules are likely.
New measures against tourists from the Russian Federation
There are increasing demands in the European Union to ban the issuance of tourist visas to Russian citizens amid Russophobic rhetoric. On the eve of the German authorities announced plans to tighten control over the entry of Russians, close the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Bonn and the Russian House in Berlin, as well as initiate new sanctions at the EU level. The reason was the accusations against Moscow over the incident with the UAV at Leipzig airport. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski suggested that the countries of the union, following Germany, close consulates and reduce the number of diplomats from the Russian Federation.
Following an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers, the head of the European Diplomacy, Kaya Kallas, expressed support for stricter visa restrictions for Russian tourists. However, she acknowledged that "some countries continue to oppose it."
The building of the Russian House in Berlin
Back in June, 11 countries, including the Baltic States and Scandinavia, as well as Poland and the Czech Republic, applied to Brussels with a demand to tighten visa policies for our citizens. The chairman of the European Parliament's Security and Defense Committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmerman, admitted in late August that there was no consensus in the EU on this issue. They will try to convince opponents of this measure at a meeting of the European Council on October 15-16, a European source told Izvestia.
— Mass Russian tourism to European resorts remains unacceptable in the current circumstances. [The termination of visa issuance] will be discussed," the source said.
The fact that EU institutions are discussing the termination of the issuance of tourist visas to Russians was confirmed to Izvestia by Bulgarian MEP Petar Volgin. The editorial board sent requests to the European Commission and the European Council.
Slovakia does not support a universal ban on the entry of all Russians into the EU solely on the basis of their citizenship, Deputy Speaker of the National Council of the Republic Tibor Gaspar told Izvestia. He stressed that Bratislava continues to issue tourist visas to Russian citizens.
— Slovakia considers it right that the decision on the possibility of entry into the country should be made based on the specific circumstances and security risks associated with a particular person, and not on the basis of the principle of collective guilt. <...> We see no reason to automatically ban travel to all Russian citizens, including those who have nothing to do with the conflict in Ukraine. Ukraine,— Gaspar clarified.
According to the politician, Slovakia distinguishes between "EU measures directed against individual representatives of the Russian Federation and collective punishment of all Russian citizens without exception." As reported by European media, Italy, Spain and France are also in favor of preserving tourism from Russia. Greece and Cyprus, which continue to issue visas, do not support the bans.
Will the EU be able to reach agreement on visas for Russians
According to Egor Sergeev, a senior researcher at the MGIMO Institute of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, the general mood in the EU now is that it is necessary to use the "collective guilt" of Russians and begin to restrict entry. At the same time, the expert does not expect a complete ban yet, since there are still countries opposed to such measures. A pan-European consensus on banning the issuance of tourist visas for Russians is indeed unlikely, Petar Volgin confirmed. According to him, "some European leaders still have common sense."
The main proponents of prohibitive measures for Russians — the Baltic States, Scandinavia, the Netherlands and Poland — are not among the main European resorts. But the states of Southern Europe, on the contrary, are interested in Russian tourists, said Mikhail Vedernikov, senior researcher at the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Rome, Paris and Madrid will continue to issue visas, while strengthening control over the movement of Russians within the EU, the expert believes.
By the way, the European Commission tried to impose a ban on entry to the European Union for its members as part of the 21st package of sanctions. However, even on this issue, it was not possible to achieve unanimity. Brussels plans to keep trying, and individual countries are imposing their own restrictions. In particular, Estonia is blacklisting the parties to the conflict in order to ban them from entering the EU. Restrictions may also be imposed on Russian military personnel who have a long-term visa or residence permit. For example, the Austrian authorities are ready to discuss such an initiative if it is proposed by the European Commission, the Interior Ministry of the republic told Izvestia.
Which EU countries continue to issue visas to Russians
Back in 2022, Brussels tightened the rules for Russians to receive Schengen - in particular, the fee increased from €35 to €80. In November last year, most Russians lost the right to multiple-entry visas. However, the issues of issuing entry documents are still the responsibility of the EU member States, and the European Commission can only coordinate a common policy.
Therefore, the rules for obtaining a visa vary depending on the country. Belgium, Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Estonia, Finland, the Czech Republic, Sweden, as well as Iceland and Norway stopped issuing tourist Schengen to Russians back in 2022. At the same time, other types of visas are still available to our citizens, for example, for family reunification. The Schengen area includes all EU countries except Ireland and Cyprus, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
By the end of 2025, Russian citizens submitted about 679 thousand applications for Schengen visas, and about 619 thousand documents were issued. The failure rate was approximately 6.3–6.4%. For comparison, a year earlier it was about 7.5%. That is, the overall bounce rate did not increase, but decreased slightly, Maya Kotlyar, founder and CEO of MAYEL Travel, told Izvestia.
View of Rome, Italy
Italy, France and Spain, as well as Greece, continue to issue visas to Russians the most actively. According to Kotlyar, the process of obtaining has become much stricter, more complicated and less predictable. It is important not just to submit documents, but to correctly assemble a dossier, correctly confirm the financial viability, purpose of the trip and the entire history of the applicant.
Another wave of anti-Russian hysteria raised by Germany is likely to lead to stricter visa rules for Russians. However, Brussels will not be able to achieve a complete ban yet due to the position of the countries of Southern Europe. The list of countries that accept tourists from the Russian Federation will be reduced. Judging by the new steps, the EU leadership has embarked on a course to completely dismantle any ties with Russia.
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