It became known that Russian citizens continue to actively receive Schengen visas, despite the current sanctions of the European Union. According to media reports, the number of permits issued for entry in 2025 increased, which indicates the preservation of tourist trips to EU countries. Most of the visas, according to journalists, are issued by the consulates of France, Spain and Italy, which in fact have become the main destinations for Russian tourists in Europe.
It is reported by Euractiv, informs the portal PromPolitInform.
According to the confidential data of the Schengen Barometer, in 2025, citizens of the Russian Federation filed more than 670 thousand applications for visas, which is almost 8% more than in 2024. EU countries issued more than 620,000 visas (an increase of 10.2%), of which more than 477,000 are tourist visas.
The data reflects the division within the EU:
France, Italy and Spain – these countries account for almost three quarters of all applications from Russians. Paris not only issued the largest number of visas, but also showed the sharpest growth – by 23% compared to last year.
Poland, the Baltic states and Northern Europe – as opposed to the previous group, these states consider the war an existential threat and advocate a complete restriction of travel for Russians while the aggression against Ukraine continues.
The emergence of statistics on the issuance of visas to Russians caused tension between European capitals. According to diplomats, France and other countries expressed dissatisfaction with the publication of these figures in internal reports. At some point, data on Russian visas generally disappeared from the new editions of the Schengen Barometer, which caused indignation among representatives of eight other EU countries. Subsequently, the statistics were returned, but in the form of a separate technical document.
The European Commission recalls that in 2022 it advised governments to deprioritize applications from Russians, and in 2025 multiple-entry visas for citizens of the Russian Federation were canceled. Each trip now requires a separate application for more frequent security checks.
Фото – radiotrek.rv.ua
