The effort and the price of a visa are increasing. However, there should be exceptions for some citizens.
As of today, Russian citizens will no longer benefit from the easier visa issuance for trips to Germany and other countries in the Schengen area. The agreement concluded between the EU and Russia in 2007 to facilitate the issuing of visas has now been completely suspended for Russian citizens following a decision by the EU states last week.
Application fee increases to 80 euros
From now on, it will be more difficult for Russian citizens to enter the Schengen area, which includes 22 EU countries as well as Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
The application fee for a visa is now 80 instead of 35 euros. In addition, more forms will be required, processing time will increase and the issuance of multiple-entry visas will be restricted.
EU Commission: Consulates should proceed strictly
On September 9, the EU Commission gave the EU states guidelines for issuing visas. On the one hand, she granted the countries “great discretion” for examining applications, on the other hand, the commission made it clear that the consulates should carry out a strict assessment of the security risks.
This could also lead to visas being refused and existing valid visas being revoked.
EU still open to some
At the same time, the EU remains open to applicants “who are traveling for urgent reasons, in particular family members of EU citizens, journalists, dissidents and representatives of civil society”. For them, the member states could, for example, reduce or completely waive the visa fee.
Shortly after the start of the war in Ukraine on February 24, the entry restrictions for business people, government officials and diplomats were suspended.
