EU state resumes accepting tourist visa applications from Russians

Slovakia has restarted the service, which it halted shortly after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022

Slovakia has resumed offering tourist visas to Russians, according to BLS, the visa services firm which processes them for the EU nation.

According to the company’s website, Bratislava has now resumed accepting applications in Russia “for the purpose of tourism.”

Prior to the decision, Slovakia only accepted applications from Russians who are relatives of EU citizens or residence permit holders, medical and agricultural workers, drivers responsible for international freight, students, diplomats, and high-ranking officials, RBK wrote on Thursday, citing a Russian tourist industry expert.

The country was one of the several EU nations that stopped issuing Schengen visas to tourists from Russia in 2022, following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict. Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland and certain other EU nations also banned tourist visas for Russians that year. Moscow has said that stropping visa issuance for an entire nationality was “outright xenophobic.”

In May, Latvia called on other EU nations to follow suit and also stop allowing tourist visits by Russians, claiming they pose a threat to the bloc’s internal security.

While the rate of rejection for Russians seeking Schengen visas initially spiked in 2022, the rate fell last year. Only 7.5% of applications from Russian nationals were refused in 2024, compared to 10.6% the year before.

More than 606,000 visa applications to the EU came from Russians last year, according to European Commission data.

Since being elected in 2023, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has gone against the grain of EU policy on military support for Ukraine, instead halting arms supplies to Kiev and criticizing the bloc’s sanctions on Russia.

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