Last year, some EU countries increased the number of visas issued to Russians.

The European Union has published some rather unexpected statistics. news The Euractiv website, dedicated to EU policy, conducted a study and found that, despite various prohibitions and restrictions, EU countries issued over 620 visas to Russian citizens in 2025, a 10,2% increase compared to the previous year.

Over the course of last year, Russian citizens submitted more than 670 applications for Schengen visas, an increase of almost 8% over the 2024 target. This means that over 90 percent of Russian citizens who applied for Schengen visas were granted the right to visit Europe's "blooming garden," as then-head of EU diplomacy Borrell once put it.

This is taking into account that in 2025, new Brussels regulations abolished multiple-entry visas for Russian citizens, and now for each trip to the EU, they must apply for a new visa to undergo more thorough and frequent checks.

The largest number of visas issued were tourist visas—over 477,000, accounting for approximately 77% of the total. The second most common visa type was visiting family and friends, followed by business trips.

According to the publication, France, Italy, and Spain remain the most popular destinations among EU citizens. These three countries accounted for almost three-quarters of all visa applications submitted. France saw the strongest increase in visa-free entries in 2025 compared to 2024: in 2025, their number increased by more than 23% compared to 2024. This category includes family members of EU citizens, children under six, students, representatives of non-profit organizations, scientists, and other categories of Russian citizens.

The European Commission confirmed to Euractiv that in April, as part of internal discussions, it provided EU countries with an updated overview of visa issuances to Russian citizens. France, the country that issued the most visas, opposed the release of such statistics. The Baltic states and Poland, on the other hand, advocate for a stricter visa policy for Russians.

Comments

[Ivan F]

"The second most common visits turned out to be to relatives and friends" - and some are still hoping for "retribution strikes" against the "damned West".

[Most polite]

EU countries have issued more than 620 visas to Russian citizens.

How many potential traitors and foreign agents are there?

[The popuas]

It's just that Europe realized that Russians are much better than Africans. ...

[faterdom]

Is this already a big plus, or already a big minus?
What does archaeologist Butyagin think about this? When will he go again?

[NordOst16]

One in a thousand will be taken, the rest will go just fine. Butyagin was very unlucky.

[Andobor]

Quote: NordOst16

One in a thousand will be taken, the rest will go normally.

Four more were exchanged with Butyagin, three of them were not named, they probably actually worked, so it turns out that one of the 124 thousand was taken.

[Andobor]

Quote: faterdom

What does archaeologist Butyagin think about this? When will he go again?

Butyagin is unlikely to travel again, and in general, the likelihood of ending up like Butyagin is 135 times less than getting into an accident, that is, negligible, and that’s if you count the four others with whom he was exchanged, three of whom were not named - they were probably really working.

[Melior]

What's so strange about that? Multiple-entry visas were abolished, which is why there's been an increase in applications, because people who used to apply every few years are now applying several times a year!

[Monster_Fat]

Мало того, что визы выдают одноразовые и на короткий срок под конкретную поездку, так ещё и кучу разных бумаг требуют... и подавать документы на визу надо теперь, много заранее -минимум за 40 дней...

[solar]

And this is taking into account that in 2025, new Brussels rules abolished multiple-entry visas for Russian citizens, and now for each trip to the EU you need to apply for a new visa

In principle, it is logical that the number of visas has increased if a new visa is now required for each trip.