European Union plans single-entry visa policy

The European Union (EU) is working on a new visa regulation regarding Russia. According to a report by Politico, the EU plans to issue only single-entry Schengen visas to Russian citizens instead of multiple-entry visas. It is stated that this regulation will include exceptions for humanitarian reasons or for Russians who have relatives who are EU citizens.

The European Commission is expected to announce this regulation shortly. EU sources state that this step is part of the punitive measures taken against Moscow due to the war in Ukraine. Consequently, it will become even more difficult for Russian citizens to travel to Europe.

The European Union suspended the "visa facilitation agreement" in effect with Russia following the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Following this decision, practices such as additional security screenings and longer waiting periods for visas were implemented for Russian citizens. With this new regulation, the EU aims to further tighten the visa regime for Russian citizens.