As a response to the war in the Ukraine, the short-stay visa facilitation agreement with Russia was partially suspended in March 2022 for Russian diplomats, and other Russian officials and businesspeople. However, the Council of the European Union has now decided to fully suspend the Agreement for all Russian citizens.
Effective from the 12th of September 2022, travel to the Schengen zone will therefore become more expensive and challenging to access for Russians. Russian citizens now wishing to travel to the Schengen zone will be subject to an increase in application fees from 35EUR to 80 EUR. Furthermore, additional documentation will be required for the application process and consulate decision deadlines will be increased from 10 to 15 days and may be further extended up to a maximum of 45 days if further scrutiny is required on an individual application. Visa appointment availability will become more limited and more restrictive rules will apply for multi-entry visa applications obliging Russians to obtain a new visa prior to each visit.
In addition to the above it is expected that approval of visas for touristic purposes will also be limited and there may also be an impact on business travel approval.
Travel into the Schengen zone for Russian nationals will now become more challenging and bureaucratic to obtain. The European Commission will however publish guidelines to clarify the permission for certain individuals such as journalists and dissidents to continue to travel.
For further information on immigration in the EU, please contact the Sterling Lexicon immigration team.