EU Visa and Entry Restrictions for Russian Citizens in 2023

These measures have limited travelling for Russian passport holders, and as AtoZSerwisPlus.com unfolds below, these are the current entry restrictions imposed on Russian travellers in 2023.

Belgium

As of August 24, 2022, visa applications for longer stays are available for Russian citizens via VFS, while short-term Schengen Visa applications have been discontinued.

Bulgaria

As of September 20, 2022, Bulgarian authorities have suspended short-term (type C) visa issuance, and it hasn’t been modified ever since.

Czech Republic

Since April 3, 2023, Czech authorities have announced that Russian citizens won’t be able to obtain a visa or residence permit in the Czech Republic for another year. According to them, the current ban on visa and residence permits issued to Russian and Belarus passport holders will be extended until March 31, 2024.

However, the ban exempts specific categories such as Russian and Belarusian nationals of EU nationals that are Czech residents, meaning they can prolong or renew their residence permits or long-term visas.

Denmark

The EU country put a pause on the visa facilitation agreement with Russia since September 13, 2022, and has moved Russian passport holders to category 5, where citizens of Afghanistan, Eritrea, Iraq, Pakistan, Russia, Somalia, and Syria are categorised, representing citizens that are considered at higher risk of illegal migration, making these nationals subject to more stringent visa issuance policies.

The Danish Embassy in Moscow closed its activity as of October 5, 2022, and since then, visa and residence permit applicants have had to submit their applications for Danish visas elsewhere. The restrictions were further tightened in 2023, as Russia was removed from the AGH list, which strips Russian nationals from the right to apply for Danish asylum from the priority over other immigration applicants.

Estonia

Estonian authorities applied some of the most stringent restrictions on Russian nationals, imposing a ban on those travelling for business and tourism reasons with short-term Schengen visas issued from Estonia. The measure remains effective as of August 11, 2022.

Later on August 17, 2022, students from Russia attaining education in Estonian institutions were the only ones permitted to apply for a residence permit extension by one year.

While there were some exceptions applying to Russian nationals visiting their family members in Estonia or those entering the country for humanitarian reasons, on September 8, 2022, the Estonian government forbade entry to Russian citizens with a Schengen visa issued by other countries, a move which was also adopted by the two other Baltic countries, Latvia and Lithuania later on September 19, 2022.

The most recent update made on of April 17, 2023, shows that Estonian authorities have suspended digital nomad visa issuance for Russian and Belarussian citizens.

Finland

The authorities introduced a reduction in tourist visa filing appointments as an initial measure for Russian citizens. As of August 30, 2022, Russian citizens had 100 fewer appointments available for tourist visa applications, from 200 and 400 from 800 visa filing appointments for work, studies, or family purposes.

Since October 3, 2022, Finnish authorities have restricted Russian citizens with Schengen visas from entering the country for transit or tourism purposes, with some exceptions applying to Russian citizens holding residence permits issued by Finland, the EU, or Switzerland.

France

The European country suspended its visa facilitation agreement with Russia as of September 12, 2022, and since then, Russian citizens applying for a short-stay visa have been charged double the amount for their application fee.

More specifically, they have to pay €80 instead of €35, and their applications’ waiting time has been increased from 15 to 45 days.

Ireland

Ireland has exempted Russian and Belarussian nationals from the facilitation agreements that became effective as of October 26, 2022, obligating them to present a visa for short stays to Ireland, regardless of holding a valid UK short-term visa.

Latvia

The authorities stopped accepting visa applications as of August 5, 2022, in addition to refusing to issue new residence permits or renew existing ones. The measures continued to tighten on August 10, 2022, as Latvian border guards started interviewing Belarus and Russian citizens on an individual basis, while since September 7, 2022, extensive background checks and additional documents were required from Russian and Belarussian citizens that were allowed to file applications for residence permit applications. In addition Russian citizens now are subject of long processing times of their applications.

As of September 19, 2022, Latvian authorities have denied entry to Russian citizens that hold residence permits issued by Schengen and EU countries, in addition to those that hold long-term visas, short-term visas, and those that want to visit family members in the EU. Transport and diplomatic staff visas, as well as Kaliningrad transit document holders for humanitarian reasons, are also restricted from entering Latvia.

Furthermore, Russian citizens are also unable to obtain a long-term visa and a Digital Nomad Visa as of September 26, 2022. The investment-related residence permit is also suspended for Russian and Belarusian citizens since November 21, 2022, while as of December 15, Russian citizens have been revoked the right to extend their permanent residence status in Latvia.

Lithuania

As of September 20, 2022, Russian citizens aren’t permitted to enter Lithuania, with the exception of those falling into the following categories:

• Russian citizens of Lithuanian origin and their close family members
• Candidates for reinstating Lithuanian citizenship and their close family members
• Residence permit holders issued by Lithuania or other EU or Schengen country
• Holders of Long-term visas issued by Schengen countries
• Kaliningrad transit document holders
• Holders of a short-term Schengen visa and those seeking entry as a family member of a Lithuanian/EU/EEA/Swiss citizen
• Eligible transport or diplomatic staff or those entering for humanitarian purposes.

The Netherlands

As of April 27, 2022, the Dutch government has put a halt on short-term visa issuance at their consulate in Moscow.

Norway

The country has suspended its visa facilitation agreement with Russia, and similarly to France, Russian citizens applying for a short-stay visa will be subject to paying increased application fees, and processing time for their applications will be extended from 15 to 34 days. In addition, multiple-entry visas are scrapped for Russian citizens.

Poland

The Polish government has limited entry for Russian passport holders to only those that hold a Polush Residence Permit visa, while, as of April 5, 2023, Russian citizens are no longer allowed to file new Special Permission applications.

Romania

Tourism and business visas are currently not being issued at Romanian consulates in Moscow.

Spain

The Spanish government has suspended visa and permit applications for entrepreneurs, investors, and business projects from Russia as of March 15, 2022.