EU Considers Restricted Schengen Visas for Russian Tourists

The EU is considering restricting Russian tourists’ visas to specific countries within the Schengen area amid security concerns.

A proposal on limited territorial validity (LTV) visas was listed for an Oct. 14 meeting of the European Council’s visa working group in Brussels.

The proposal would draw on an existing visa category rather than create a new one. Unlike a standard Schengen visa, an LTV visa permits travel only within the country or countries explicitly listed on it.

Citing a document reviewed by its correspondent, the Rapporteur reported that Germany put forward the initiative and that Ireland had raised objections.

The scope of the proposal remains unclear.

The council’s public register says the initiative concerns Russian nationals making nonessential trips, but the underlying document is not publicly available.

Publicly available information does not establish whether these restricted visas would become the default for Russian tourists, which applicants would qualify or when any changes could take effect.

For travelers, the practical difference could be substantial. A Russian tourist holding an LTV visa valid only for Italy could visit Italy but could not use that visa to travel to neighboring Switzerland. It would also provide no authorization to transit through other Schengen countries outside its territorial coverage.

That could complicate holidays involving several destinations, including bus tours and journeys requiring connections through another Schengen state.

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Russia’s hybrid threats

The initiative comes amid broader European pressure to tighten visa rules for Russians, with governments citing risks including espionage, sabotage and infrastructure damage.

Berlin has accused Moscow of being involved in the Leipzig airport drone incident, while multiple European intelligence agencies have warned of Russian assassination plots against arms executives.

Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo called on Oct. 11 for a complete halt to issuing tourist visas to Russian nationals. Finland and several other European countries have already stopped issuing them, while others, including France, Italy, Spain and Greece, continue to do so, according to independent Russian outlet Meduza.

In January, the European Commission proposed developing visa restrictions targeting nationals of countries engaged in hostile activity against the EU. That effort could involve amendments to the Visa Code, the legislation governing short-stay visas.

Territorially restricted visas

The EU already issues territorially restricted visas to Russian applicants. According to the commission’s statistics cited in the reporting, around 12,000 were issued in 2025.

Such visas are particularly relevant to holders of five-year, nonbiometric passports, which a growing number of Schengen countries no longer recognize. Territorial restrictions can keep a visa valid in countries that still accept the travel document.

Precedent also exists for other nationalities.

The Insider, citing a European Commission report, reported that Schengen countries issued more than 40,000 territorially restricted visas to Kosovo residents in 2011, when several European governments did not recognize Kosovo’s independence or its passports. Visa-free travel for Kosovo passport holders took effect in 2024.

Ongoing discussions since summer

The latest proposal is part of a wider discussion to impose Russian visa bans that gained traction in the summer of 2026.

Paris and Rome previously opposed the bloc’s proposed ban in July, leading to a version that limits the measure to short-stay visas and only to those directly participating in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Radio Liberty reported on Wednesday that EU Schengen countries issued 477,878 tourist visas to Russians in 2025, a record high. It added that most were issued by Greece, Italy, France, and Spain.

Russian state media RIA Novosti said Italy issued about 160,000, citing data from the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR).