“Starting a war and expecting to move freely in Europe is hard to justify,” EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas said on November 7, 2025, as the bloc announced it would stop issuing multiple-entry Schengen visas to Russians.
The change means a Russian traveller now needs a fresh application for every trip. Existing multiple-entry visas stay valid until they expire, according to Travel Tomorrow.
What the Commission said
The European Commission framed the rules as a security measure. Its statement said Russia’s war against Ukraine and its “weaponisation of migration” had altered the risk profile of Russian applicants. The aim, it said, is “close and frequent scrutiny” of each applicant. It named sabotage and visa misuse as specific worries. EU Commissioner Magnus Brunner promised “enhanced verification procedures and elevated levels of scrutiny” for Russian applications, Novaya Gazeta Europe reported. Member states approved the rules unanimously.
LRT reported that the EU pointed to “continued drone disruptions and sabotage on European soil.”
Who can still get a longer visa
This is not a ban. Visa issuing belongs to the member states, so the Commission cannot forbid it outright. What it can do is set tighter conditions that every Schengen consulate has to follow.
Some applicants keep access to multiple-entry visas:
- Family members of Russians legally resident in the EU, or of EU citizens, can get a one-year multiple-entry visa if they have lawfully used three visas in the past two years.
- Seafarers, drivers and train crew can get a nine-month multiple-entry visa if they have used visas before.
- Member states may grant up to five-year visas to dissidents, independent journalists, human rights defenders and vulnerable people in “duly justified cases.”
Numbers and splits among member states
Schengen visas issued to Russians fell from 4 million in 2019 to 541,000 in 2024, LRT reported. Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Finland, Latvia and Estonia already restrict Russian applications sharply. Italy, France and Spain have been more permissive, and Italy alone issued 152,254 visas in 2024. Hungary is among the governments that oppose limits.
Russian opposition figures in exile had urged Brussels to hold back, arguing that the rules would hurt ordinary people.
The decision follows the suspension of the EU’s visa facilitation agreement with Moscow after 2022, and an October agreement among member states to restrict the movement of Russian diplomats inside the bloc.
Sources
- Brussels restricts Schengen visas for Russian nationals
- EU tightens rules on Schengen visas for Russian passport holders
- European Commission bans issue of multiple-entry visas to Russians
