European Nations Call for Stricter Schengen Visa Rules for Russians European governments are lining up to make it harder for Russians to enter the Schengen zone — but they’re split over how far and how fast to go.

A coalition of more than ten, now explicitly eleven, EU and associated states wants Brussels to slam the brakes on Russian travel, arguing that the patchwork of current rules undermines both security and political messaging. Their demand: tougher, unified restrictions on Schengen visas for Russian citizens.

On one side, the hard‑liners

Countries including Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Iceland are pushing for “stricter visa issuance for Russians,” with some officials openly floating a near‑total halt to new visas. They complain that recommendations adopted after Russia’s full‑scale invasion of Ukraine — downgrading “non‑essential” trips and tightening security checks — are being applied unevenly across the bloc, diluting pressure on Moscow.

Their joint letter, coordinated by foreign ministers from this group, frames the current system as a strategic liability: fragmentation “weakens our leverage, undermines public trust and risks sending conflicting signals at a time when clarity and resolve are needed,” they argue.

On the other side, Brussels’ slower grind

The European Commission broadly agrees on the direction but not the tempo. It has “promised to tighten visa issuance for Russians” after the 11 states blasted the divergent national approaches, and says it will propose “targeted restrictive visa measures” aimed at security risks from “hostile actions by third countries.” But those measures are only expected next year, leaving the coming summer travel season largely untouched.

Commission officials also stress that member states still control who actually gets a visa — Brussels can coordinate rules, not sign off on applications. They note that the number of Schengen visas for Russians has already collapsed from around 4 million annually pre‑war to about half a million in 2025, with multiple‑entry visas being quietly swapped out for single‑entry ones.

The clash boils down to pace and symbolism: eastern and northern Europe want a visible, unified shut‑off; the Commission prefers incremental, security‑framed tightening. Russians hoping for a carefree European summer are caught in the middle.