Recent events, including the temporary halt of operations at the Spanish BLS visa center in Moscow and Germany`s announcements regarding stricter visa issuance rules, have raised significant questions about the future of entry for Russian citizens into European Union countries. While experts largely concur that a complete cessation of visa issuance is improbable, the conditions for obtaining them are expected to become more rigorous.
The suspension of the Spanish center, which is generally viewed as a temporary measure, may be attributed to an overwhelming volume of applications. Spain has traditionally been one of the countries that have been relatively accommodating in granting visas to Russians. It is anticipated that even with the introduction of new sanctions, Spain will likely limit its actions to adjusting specific requirements rather than completely halting document processing for Russian applicants.
The situation with Germany appears distinct. Although a German news agency reported that the government called for stricter Schengen visa rules as part of a new sanctions package, the German consulate already rejects approximately 90% of applications from Russians. Further tightening of rules is therefore perplexing to many.
Lead Specialist for Corporate Clients at Vizahod Visa Agency
“It`s very difficult for me to predict what else they (specifically the Germans) might come up with, because overall their requirements package is already quite complex. It seems it couldn`t get any worse, as they only accept foreign bank statements from EU countries, no others are considered. They demand that insurance policies are only issued in EU countries. What could be even harder to implement is hard to say. But if they complicate something additionally, it won`t play any global role, because, statistically, Germans have had almost 90% visa rejections over the last two years. Fewer people will want to apply to them. People will still look for other ways – nobody will simply apply to Germans for visas. But if this affects Italy, Spain, France, perhaps they will add some points to their requirements for documents.”
Should Germany`s call for stricter rules resonate with other EU states, such as Italy and France, which currently continue to accept applications for Schengen visas from Russians, the processing period could extend significantly, potentially reaching two to three months. Even Greece, which was previously more accommodating, has recently increased its rate of rejections for Russian applicants. Its future policy remains uncertain until the new sanctions package is detailed.
While some European media have speculated about a complete ban on Schengen visas for Russian citizens, there is no consensus on this issue among EU member states. More probable scenarios include an increase in visa fees (currently 90 euros), extended processing times, and the introduction of application quotas, as suggested by Sofia Defosse-Aksyutina, Director of International Programs at the Euroresident immigration and visa agency.
Director of International Programs at Euroresident Immigration and Visa Agency
“It was announced that MEPs plan to reduce or even suspend the processing of Schengen visas for citizens of the Russian Federation. Various theories were put forward on how they would do this and whether visa processing would be completely stopped or only partially. And mostly we leaned towards the opinion that quotas would simply decrease. And now we see that some visa centers are reducing or suspending visa processing. But visa processing will not be completely stopped. Schengen visas are issued to applicants for short-term visits to EU countries. And this can be a visit for medical treatment, a visit to relatives, various visits with a very valid purpose. And prohibiting such trips would be completely inhumane; it could contradict human rights. But some complications, of course, will occur.”
Discussions about tightening visa rules coincide with an increase in Russian entries into the EU this summer. According to EU data, over half a million short-stay visas were issued to Russians last year, marking approximately a 20% increase compared to the previous year. Russians currently constitute the third-largest group of applicants for Schengen visas in the European Union.
Rupert Blackwood 
Clement Ashworth