BRUSSELS, November 7. /TASS/. The European Commission has announced a complete ban on issuing new multiple-entry visas to Russian citizens.

"From now on, Russian nationals will no longer be able to receive multiple-entry visas. This means Russian nationals will have to apply for a new visa each time they plan to travel to the EU," the statement said. The decision was made on November 6 and came into force on November 7, European Commission Spokesman Markus Lammert said at a briefing in Brussels.

Existing multiple-entry visas remain valid, a TASS source said. Lammert later confirmed this, specifying that the decision has no retroactive effect.

Exceptions

According to documents published by the European Commission, new multiple-entry visas may be issued to "close family members of persons residing in the Union and transport workers (seafarers, truck and bus drivers, members of train crews)." For transport workers, the validity of the permit is limited to one year.

Multiple-entry visas may also be issued to Russian citizens loyal to Brussels. "The latter may be appropriate, in particular, for the benefit of dissidents, independent journalists, human rights defenders, representatives of civil society organizations or other vulnerable categories, and their close family members," the document said.

Visa is privilege

Commenting on the ban, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called entry into the EU "a privilege, not a given." She alleged that the community was facing "unprecedented drone disruptions and sabotage on its soil," but she did not provide any evidence linking these allegations to Russian citizens.

In spring 2022, the European Commission suspended the Russia-EU visa facilitation agreement and adopted the first set of requirements to tighten visa policies regarding Russia. According to EU statistics, the bloc issued four million Schengen visas to Russians in 2019 (before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic) and 500,000 in 2023.