Euractiv announced a record number of EU tourist visas issued to Russians

The European Union (EU) countries issued more than 620,000 tourist visas to Russian citizens in 2025, which was a record since 2022. This was announced on May 6 by the Euractiv portal.

"In 2025, EU states issued over 620,000 tourist visas to Russian citizens, which is 10.2% higher than in 2024," the publication says.

The portal noted that the figure was the highest since the beginning of the special military operation in Ukraine. At the same time, the reasons for the increase in the number of visas issued are not specified.

The window was closed: The European Commission banned issuing multiple-entry visas to Russians

The EU authorities have linked this measure to improving the security of the Schengen area.

Luxembourg MEP Fernand Kartheiser said on November 15 last year that the decision of the European Union (EU) to stop issuing Schengen visas to Russians for multiple trips was erroneous and economically harmful for the countries of the union. He recalled that there were several million Russian tourists in the EU until recently, and their loss is an economic loss for some EU states.

On November 7, the European Commission (EC) announced a ban on issuing new multiple-entry visas to Russians. Now, to visit the EU, Russian citizens will have to apply to the visa application center every time. On the same day, it was reported that Switzerland would join the new EU visa restrictions on Russian citizens. Meanwhile, the French Embassy promised to continue issuing visas to Russians.