More than three and a half years have passed since the outbreak of the ukrainian warSpain appears as the third country in the European Union that grants the most short-term visas for Russian citizens, only behind France and Italy.
Precisely, the Ursula von der Leyen Commission approved stricter rules this Friday on visas for Russian nationals after detecting a “increased security risks from Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine“.
Among them, Brussels warns in particular of the “instrumentalization of migration” by the Kremlin, as well as acts of sabotage or possible misuse of visas.
Specifically, the EU will stop granting Russian citizens multiple-entry visas. That means they will have to apply for a new visa each time you plan to travel to the EUwhich will allow for close and frequent monitoring of applicants to mitigate any potential security risks.
The objective is to mitigate threats to public order and internal security, while allowing exceptions in justified and limited casessuch as independent journalists and human rights defenders, ensuring uniform application between Member States and preventing circumvention of the rules.
This decision is based on a joint assessment of Member States within the framework of local Schengen cooperation in Russia and has been unanimously supported by the Visa Committee.
However, The EU has not dared to take the step of completely banning visas for Russian citizens. This measure was considered by the Community Executive as part of the nineteenth package of sanctions against Russia, but in the end it was discarded due to internal division.
While the Nordic and Eastern countries push to suspend or drastically cut visas for Russians (convinced that the majority supports Vladimir Putin), the great powers of the EU resist and defend keeping channels open with civil society.
Despite international sanctions and diplomatic isolationRussian citizens submitted a total of 606,600 Schengen visa applications to enter the EU in 2024, a figure that represents an increase of 16.5% compared to the previous year.
The consulates of the Member States issued 541,800 visas to Russian citizens, including almost 224,000 multiple entry visas (41.3% of the total). That means the rejection rate is around 10%.
In the case of Spainthe number of applications for Russian visas at the consulates in Moscow and St. Petersburg amounted to 125,551, while the final number of permits granted amounts to 111,187.
Of this amount, 11,349 (around 10% of the total) were multiple-entry visas, which are now prohibited. Despite being in third position in the EU, the number of Russian tourists in Spain has plummeted, since in the years before the war it exceeded 600,000 a year.
Ahead of Spain, the Member States that grant the most visas to Russian citizens are Italy (135,455) and France (123,890). Behind are Greece, Germany and Hungary.
The total number of Schengen visas issued to Russians has fallen from more than 4 million in 2019 to the aforementioned 541,800 in 2024.
“The protection of the EU’s external borders requires the application of strict and comprehensive visa management rules“, highlighted the Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration, the Austrian Magnus Brunner.
“Under the new provisions adopted, all visa applications submitted by nationals of the Russian Federation will be subject to strengthened verification procedures and higher levels of control. This will contribute to the integrity and security of the Schengen area,” says Brunner.
For her part, the head of EU diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, stressed that “Traveling and moving freely within the EU is a privilege, not a guaranteed right“.
“Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine has created the most dangerous security environment in Europe in decades. We now face unprecedented disruptions caused by drones and acts of sabotage on our own territory. We have a duty to protect our citizens,” says Kallas.
The EU already suspended the Visa Facilitation Agreement with Russia in 2022 and adopted guidelines to help Member States give lower priority to visas for Russian citizens and limit their issuance, thus strengthening security and border control. But it will continue to allow single-entry visas.