The European Commission recommended to carefully check the citizens of Russia when issuing visas

The European Commission recommended that EU member states increase the time for issuing visas to Russian citizens up to 45 days against the current 15 days, issue them only for travel dates and check all applications for possible security threats. Relevant recommendations published on the EC website.

Thus, consulates, when considering applications, should have a lower priority for citizens without a significant purpose of travel, in particular tourists. To ensure security, they are recommended to request additional documents in addition to the standard list. “Given the current security situation, the consulates of the Member States must exercise particular care in checking whether Russian citizens applying for short-stay visas can be considered as a threat to public order, internal security or the international relations of any of the Member States,” the statement reads. message.

It is also recommended that member states review short-term visas already issued to Russians, and if there are suggestions that a person may be a security threat, his visa is proposed to be canceled.

“Member States should refrain from issuing long-term multiple-entry visas as Russian citizens may not qualify for entry into the EU in the long term, given economic instability, restrictive measures and political developments in Russia. In such cases, Member States should consider issuing single-entry visas or visas with a shorter validity period,” recommends the EC.

The message of the European Commission emphasizes that the EU countries are still open to people traveling for vital purposes: for the families of EU citizens, journalists, dissidents, etc. For them, member states, at their discretion, can reduce or cancel the visa fee in “certain cases” .

The decision to abandon the simplified visa regime with Russia in the EU was made following an informal meeting of the EU foreign ministers, which took place on August 31 in Prague. At the same time, the Baltic countries, as well as Poland and Finland, insisted on a complete halt in the issuance of visas for Russians. However, a number of countries, including Germany, Greece and France, opposed this initiative.

Later, the foreign ministers of Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia said they intended to take additional measures on their own. So, on the eve of the government of Poland and the Baltic countries agreed on restrictions on the entry of Russians into the Schengen zone through their land borders. The restrictions will come into effect after September 19.