The reception of the letter from the 11 countries of the Schengen Zone requesting tightening of entry rules for citizens was confirmed today by , underlining that limiting the issuance of visas to Russian nationals has been a priority of the EU since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“Restricting the issuance of visas to Russian citizens has been a top priority for the Commission since the beginning of Russian aggression against Ukraine in 2022. We have taken unprecedented measures and will continue to do so,” said the Commission’s home affairs spokesman Marcus Lammert, noting that the letter from the 11 countries was also discussed at yesterday’s Home Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg.
The same representative recalled that the EU has completely suspended the visa facilitation agreement with Russia, while it has issued guidelines to member states for stricter security and border controls when considering applications from Russian citizens. At the same time, new rules were adopted in November 2025 that significantly limit the granting of multiple entry visas.
According to the Commission, these measures have led to a drastic reduction in Schengen visas issued to Russian citizens. According to the spokesman, before the war, about four million visas were issued annually, while today their number has been reduced to about half a million.
New targeted restrictive measures
The Commission also announced that it is preparing new targeted restrictive measures as part of the revision of the Visa Code, which is expected to be presented early next year. These measures are intended to address security risks associated with hostile actions by third countries.
At the same time, the Commission stated that it shares the concern expressed in the letter of the 11 countries, regarding the Russian soldiers who have fought in Ukraine, pointing out that they may constitute a threat to the security of the European Union. “We are evaluating possible ways to limit their access to the Schengen area,” the spokesman said.
The letter to the European Commission is signed by Sweden, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Poland, as well as Norway and Iceland. The countries are calling for the adoption of new binding measures to limit the travel of Russian citizens to the European Union, citing security reasons and the continuation of the war in Ukraine.
