Council published guidelines for partial Russian visa suspension

IMPACT – MEDIUM

The European Council has published guidance for the partial suspension of its visa facilitation agreement with Russia.

Key Points:

• The Council’s guidance affects:
  • Russian business travelers and representatives of business organizations.
  • Members of Russia’s official delegations or national and regional governments.
  • Those who hold Russian diplomatic passports.
• These travelers will now be required to submit additional documentary evidence when applying for visas to enter the EU and will no longer benefit from reduced visa processing fees.
• The suspension does not affect ordinary Russian citizens wishing to travel to the EU.

Additional Information: More information regarding the Council’s guidelines and a link to the full guidance is available here.

BAL Analysis: The Council published its guidance to help Member States apply the partial visa suspension and to clarify procedures for issuing visas to Russian nationals. Some member states have introduced their own visa restrictions on Russian nationals, and even with the publication of the guidance, policies will vary from country to country. Employers should work closely with their immigration provider when planning travel by Russian nationals.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group. For additional information, please contact berryapplemanleiden@bal.com.

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