Although they continue to issue Schengen visas to Russian citizens, European countries are tightening both the visa process and entry conditions.
Photo: Mikhail FROLOV
The list of countries to which Russian citizens can travel without a visa will be significantly expanded in the near future. Turkey, Israel, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, Armenia and many others will join a good dozen countries whose governments would like to significantly simplify the entry of Russian tourists into their territories.
– Currently, work is underway on the preparation of draft visa-free agreements with Mexico and Malaysia; Relevant agreements are also being negotiated with Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Zambia,” Russian Federation Deputy Foreign Minister Evgeny Ivanov said in an interview with TASS.
Meanwhile, Russian citizens can travel to Mexico only if they have valid Schengen or US visas, or if they receive an electronic one. Also, by receiving an electronic permit, Russians can now go to Saudi Arabia, but this takes time and requires payment of a non-refundable consular fee. As soon as the agreements are signed, the visa-free regime will be simultaneously free and paperless.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Yevgeny Ivanov. Photo: Mikhail Metzel/TASS
Ivanov also said that Moscow and Hong Kong are working to increase the visa-free stay of citizens from 14 days to 30 days.
Today, more than 100 countries of the world accept Russian citizens without red tape: some visas are issued on arrival, several countries require filling out documents online, and in 78 countries a Russian passport opens doors without visas.
At the same time, the Western bloc countries continue to tighten their visa policies for Russian citizens. American visas are not issued at all in Moscow, while Schengen visas in the visa centers of Spain, France and other countries that are part of the Schengen zone continue to be issued to Russian citizens, but both the process itself as the input conditions are still tight.
Schengen visas began to be granted more frequently for a single entry, for short periods. And some EU countries don’t seem to refuse visas, but require documents from applicants that they can’t provide, for example, an insurance policy issued by a European company. It is impossible to buy one without a credit card from a western bank.
Perhaps the situation will change a little for the better in connection with the entry into Schengen of Croatia, whose visa centers in Moscow have already begun to accept documents.
By the way, visa bans affect not only people who permanently live in Russia. But also for those who emigrated many years ago. Some European countries have banned the entry of Russian tourists living in the United States.
So, the elderly residents of Brighton Beach, who spend their lives on American green cards, but on Russian passports, are outraged: they cannot go to the Czech Karlovy Vary, as before – the Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland , Estonia and Finland have prohibited citizens of the Russian Federation from entering their territory for tourism purposes. And they do not put visas in Russian passports, neither at their diplomatic missions in Moscow nor in New York.
