FULL SUSPENSION OF VISA FACILITATION AGREEMENT WITH RUSSIA
On September 9th the Council of EU adopted a decision to fully suspend the agreement between the EU and Russia, the reason being aggression of Russia. The decision will apply to Russian citizens.
The main changes are;
- Russian applicants will face a higher visa fee, which will increase from 35 EUR to 80 for all applicants;
- Russian applicants will have to submit a full list of documentary evidence, when applying for visa (till now they had a benefit of submitting a simplified list of documentation) and
- increased processing time, beforehand being 10 to 15 days, the period is now extended to maximum of 45 days.
The above-mentioned measures apply to short-stay visas.
Council has also adopted a more restrictive rules on multiple-entry visas, meaning that Russian citizens will not be able to have easy access to visas for multiple entries to Schengen area.
In scope of beforementioned sanctions the Council has proposed a non-recognition of passports, issued in areas of Ukraine, occupied by Russia (in particular Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions). Passports will not be valid when entering the Schengen area and applying for visa.
How EY can help?
At EY, we closely monitor changes in the field of immigration and related changes that have recently taken place due to war in Ukraine. In case you need additional advice related to immigration (e.g. visas, single permits, residence permits, etc.) our team of immigration experts is happy to assist you.
