Eleven European countries have called on the European Commission to restrict the issuance of Schengen visas to Russian citizens for tourist trips more strictly and uniformly. While this is not a new ban and not an immediate change in rules for all travelers, the signal is important: before the summer season of 2026, the topic of Russian tourism in Europe has once again become part of a broader discussion on security, sanctions policy, and the functioning of the Schengen Area.
The initiative, as reported by Euronews, RUV, and El Pais, was supported by Sweden, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, as well as Norway and Iceland, which are not EU members but are part of the Schengen Area. The countries addressed their request to the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas and the European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner. Their main grievance lies not only in the fact of visa issuance itself, but in the uneven application of already existing restrictive approaches: some states effectively maximize the restraint of non-essential travel from Russia, while others leave significantly wider opportunities for tourist entry.
For the tourism market, this news is important for several reasons. First, it may affect demand in popular European destinations where Russian tourists still remain a noticeable part of the visa flow. Second, the potential tightening of rules could change the logic of booking trips to Schengen countries, especially for travelers who relied on multiple-entry short-term visas. Third, the discussion touches upon the very principle of free movement within the Schengen Area: a visa issued by one country usually opens access to the entire zone, so the difference in practices of individual consulates becomes a common problem.
What Exactly the 11 Countries Are Proposing
The essence of the appeal is for the European Commission to prepare stricter, coordinated, and, where possible, mandatory approaches to Schengen visas for Russian citizens. This primarily concerns non-essential travel, namely tourism, short private visits without an urgent humanitarian reason, and travel for entertainment purposes. In the letter, quoted by European media, the countries point to the risk of so-called visa shopping: an applicant may apply where the approach is softer, and then move through the Schengen Area without internal passport control.
A separate emphasis is placed on multiple-entry visas. These have the greatest practical significance for regular trips, as they allow avoiding the submission of documents before every short visit. If the EU follows the path of additional restrictions in the future, the most likely points of impact could be the reduction of validity periods for multiple-entry visas, a stricter assessment of the purpose of the trip, more frequent refusals for non-essential tourism, and more thorough security risk checks.
Important: at the time of preparing this material, there is no talk of an already adopted general ban on the entry of Russian tourists to the entire Schengen Area. This is a political request from a group of countries and a reaction from the European Commission, which promised to consider targeted restrictive measures within the framework of the future revision of the Visa Code. According to Euronews, such a proposal is expected no earlier than next year, so it should not automatically change the rules for this summer season.
What Rules Already Apply to Russians in Schengen
After the full-scale invasion of Russia into Ukraine, the EU has already changed the visa regime for Russian citizens. The European Commission reminds that on September 9, 2022, the Council of the EU agreed to the full suspension of the Visa Facilitation Agreement with Russia. This means that Russian applicants no longer enjoy privileged access to short-term visas, and the process has become longer, more expensive and more complex.
Member states have broad freedom in considering short-term applications and can apply enhanced scrutiny. At the same time, the EU maintains the possibility for certain categories of applicants traveling for essential reasons: family members of EU citizens, journalists, dissidents, representatives of civil society, and other cases where the trip is not a regular vacation. Also, Russian documents issued in the occupied territories of Ukraine or in separatist regions of Georgia are not recognized for visas and border crossing.
The current dispute arose because general restrictive frameworks exist, but their application in different countries differs. According to the Schengen Barometer, cited by European media, the number of applications and visas issued to Russian citizens grew again in 2025. El Pais reports 674,619 Schengen visa applications from Russian citizens in 2025 and 623,451 issued visas of various types; specifically, nearly 478 thousand tourist visas. Euronews notes that France, Italy, and Spain issued the most visas to Russians in 2025.
Why This Discussion Is Important Specifically for Travel
For the general tourist audience, the news may seem political, but its practical consequence lies in the predictability of rules. A Schengen visa works as a common tool for access to a large part of Europe. If one state issues tourist visas significantly more actively than others, it affects not only its own borders. After the first entry, a person can travel further to other Schengen countries, and thus the question of the consular practice of one state becomes a question of common trust.
For the tourism business, this means a possible change in the structure of demand. Resorts, city hotels, airlines, luxury retail, and tour operators in countries that received a significant flow of Russian travelers may closely monitor the decisions of Brussels. If multiple-entry visas become rarer, and short tourist visits are checked more strictly, part of the demand may shift to destinations outside Schengen or to countries where it is easier for Russian citizens to travel without a European visa.
For passengers from Ukraine and other countries planning trips to Europe, this initiative does not create a direct change in rules. However, it may affect the general atmosphere in consulates and at border points: more attention to security checks, the purpose of the trip, documents, and itineraries. Those traveling through large hubs should monitor not only flight tickets but also official visa notices of the specific destination country.
What May Change for Tourists in the Near Future
The most realistic scenario for the coming months is not a sharp, instantaneous turnaround, but a gradual tightening of practice. The European Commission has already made it clear that visa decisions remain the competence of member states, and Brussels can set frameworks, coordinate the approach, and propose changes to general legislation. Therefore, tourists should not perceive the statement of the 11 countries as an automatic cancellation of all current visas or an immediate closure of borders.
At the same time, the signal is strong enough to expect a more scrutinizing attitude toward non-essential tourist applications. If political pressure persists, countries may more frequently require detailed itineraries, proof of accommodation, explanation of sources of funds, evidence of the real purpose of the trip, and additional verification of biographical data. This will especially concern applicants claiming long multiple-entry visas or planning to travel through one country but actually vacationing in another.
Practical advice for everyone planning trips to Europe this summer remains simple: check the rules on the consulate website of the country of primary stay, submit documents in advance, and do not build an itinerary on the assumption that old practice will automatically be preserved. For trips through Northern and Central Europe, it is also worth planning logistics in advance: information about Stockholm Arlanda Airport, Helsinki Airport, Warsaw Chopin Airport, Prague Airport, and Amsterdam Schiphol Airport can be viewed on the website if the route passes through these hubs.
How This Fits Into the Broader Schengen Context
The discussion about Russian tourist visas coincides with another major process - digitalization and strengthening of control at the external borders of Europe. Schengen is already entering a new stage with the EES system, the future ETIAS and wider data exchange between border and migration services. Previously, we explained how EES affects travel to Schengen, as well as analyzed why the demand for Schengen visas is growing, but has not yet returned to 2019 levels.
In this context, the appeal of the 11 countries looks not as a separate emotional statement, but as part of a broader attempt to make entry to Europe more manageable and politically aligned. For some states, the main argument is security, for others - sanctions logic, for a third - a reputational issue: whether Europe can simultaneously support Ukraine and leave usual opportunities for leisure tourism from the aggressor country.
That is why further development of this topic should be evaluated not by loud headlines, but by specific documents: whether the European Commission will propose changes to the Visa Code, whether they will be mandatory, which categories of trips will be covered, and whether exceptions will remain for humanitarian, family, journalistic, and opposition cases. Until such details are available, the most accurate formula is this: Europe is preparing the ground for targeted tightening, but final rules have not yet been adopted.
Conclusion
The call of 11 countries for stricter rules for Russian tourist visas is one of the most noticeable visa signals of the beginning of the summer of 2026. It does not change the rules for all tourists today, but it shows the direction of policy: less tolerance for non-essential trips from Russia, more attention to security and stronger pressure on Schengen countries that issue the most visas.
For travelers, the main conclusion is practical: any trips to Europe increasingly depend on the accuracy of documents, the relevance of rules, and readiness for checks. For the tourism market, this means that political decisions can again quickly change demand, routes, and behavior of clients. And for Schengen, this is another test of the ability to act as a single zone, rather than as a set of different consular practices under a common visa label.