The number of Schengen visas issued to Russians last year has increased by a quarter.
Increase in the number of Schengen visas for Russian citizens
In 2024, the number of Schengen visas issued to Russians increased by 25% compared to the previous year. Schengen Zone countries are providing more and more visas to Russian citizens, according to data from Schengen.News published in Glavkom.
In 2024, 565,069 Schengen visas were issued to Russian citizens, which is 45,682 more than in 2023. Of this number, about 90% of visas (508,562) were issued for tourism purposes.
The highest number of visa applications from Russians in 2023 was received by Italy... Italy also issued the largest number of Schengen visas to Russians - a total of 134,141, which accounts for 30% of all visa applications.
Latvia's Foreign Minister Baiba Braze has called on EU countries to halt visa issuance to Russians for security reasons. Together with Latvia, Poland, Estonia, Lithuania, and the Czech Republic, they no longer provide Schengen visas to Russian citizens for tourism purposes.
Romania and Bulgaria join the Schengen visa-free zone
Recently, Schengen Zone countries decided to cancel checks at internal borders with Bulgaria and Romania starting January 1, 2025. Thus, since March last year, these countries have partially joined the visa-free Schengen zone of Europe. A number of Schengen countries have introduced border controls due to an increase in illegal migration.
Material analysis
According to Schengen.News, the number of Schengen visas issued to Russians continues to grow every year. The increase in these figures may indicate a certain stabilization of the situation in Schengen Zone countries and positive shifts in the tourism sector. However, calls to stop issuing visas to Russians for security reasons also underline the importance of caution and control when considering visa applications. The process of Ukraine's integration into the Schengen Zone may be an additional topic for further review in the context of recent events in Europe.
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