The Ministry of Foreign Affairs spoke about the impracticable visa requirements for tourists in EU countries

Some EU countries have begun imposing unfeasible requirements for Russian tourists to obtain a Schengen visa against the backdrop of a general decline in the number of issued visas throughout the EU. About this in a conversation with TASS informed Secretary of State – Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia Evgeny Ivanov.

“Some EU countries, while not formally refusing to issue visas to Russians, put forward obviously impossible conditions. In particular, they require payment of visa fees through Western banks or the presentation of a medical insurance policy of a foreign insurer, which is extremely problematic in the face of unprecedented Western sanctions. The issuance of multiple-entry visas for Russians has been reduced to a minimum,” he said.

Ivanov recalled that now Russians are prohibited from entering the territory of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Finland and Poland for tourism purposes. According to him, in the West “the conditions of entry for Russian tourists are being tightened up to the complete cessation of issuing Schengen visas to them.”

September 9, 2022 EU countries accepted decision to suspend the simplified visa regime with Russia. As a result, the consular fee for applying for a visa has increased from 35 to 80 euros. The time for reviewing questionnaires has also increased. Now the waiting period can reach 45 days. The decision came into force on September 12, 2022.

In addition, in early September, ATOR reported that nine EU countries were completely stopped issue tourist visas for Russians. These included, for example, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, as well as Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands. On September 30, 2022, Finland introduced a similar ban. October 25, 2022 Czech Republic banned entry to Russian tourists with a valid Schengen visa issued by any country.