# European Commission: Restricting visas for Russians remains a priority, new package of measures expected in January 2027

- URL: https://syn.by/en/politics/international-relations/european-commission-restricting-visas-for-russians-remains-a-priority-new-package-of-measures-expected-in-january-2027/
- Published: 2026-10-20T12:00:07+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-22T19:52:43+00:00
- Section: International Relations
- Language: en
- RU edition: https://syn.by/ru/politika/mezhdunarodnye-otnosheniya/yevrokomissiya-ogranichyeniye-viz-dlya-rossiyan-ostayotsya-priorityetom-novyy-pakyet-myer-ozhidayetsya-v-yanvarye-2027-goda.md
- BE edition: https://syn.by/palityka/mizhnarodnyya-adnosiny/eurakamisija-abmiezhavannie-viz-dlia-rasiejcau-zastajecca-pryjarytetam-novy-pakiet-mier-chakajecca-u-studzieni-2027-hoda.md

> European Commission spokesman Markus Lammert acknowledged that visa policy is still outside the Commission's competence, and said it is pressing EU member states to tighten the rules. According to reports, proposals may be presented in early 2027.

![](https://syn.by/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/illustration-472-1024x585.webp)

European Commission spokesman Markus Lammert said at a briefing on 19 October that restricting the issuance of visas to Russian citizens has been a priority for the Commission and the European Union since 2022. According to the Russian outlet vedomosti.ru, he also said Brussels intends to push for further tightening of visa rules.

The European Commission plans to present a package of new restrictions in January, presumably 2027, Belarusian media report. Telegram channels, citing the European Commission, give the same timeframe: January 2027. It is not yet known which measures will be included in the package.

Lammert said the Commission has already taken steps to make it harder for Russians to obtain multiple-entry visas, and that further steps are ahead. In his words: "We have also taken steps to make it harder for Russian citizens to obtain multiple-entry visas, and next steps lie ahead."

At the same time, by his own admission, visa policy remains outside the Commission's competence for now. He said the Commission is doing everything it can to "persuade EU countries" to make it harder for Russians to get Schengen visas, especially multiple-entry ones, and to reduce their overall number. In other words, Brussels is so far persuading rather than deciding itself.

The push for tighter rules did not begin yesterday. In September 2022, the European Commission recommended screening Russians when they apply for Schengen visas and giving "low priority" to applications for tourist visas.

Russia sees it differently. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Yevgeny Ivanov said, as reported by TASS, that EU countries have reduced the issuance of multiple-entry visas to Russian citizens to a minimum, and that some set unfulfillable requirements for tourists from Russia. Moscow, which has an interest in free travel for its citizens, presents this as a grievance against the EU.

The European Commission itself, according to reports in Telegram channels, said that most residents of Russia will now be unable to obtain Schengen multiple-entry visas. Brussels and Moscow are essentially describing the same outcome and differ in how they assess it: one side calls it a security measure, the other complains of unfulfillable conditions.

For Belarusians this is not an abstraction: in March 2023, the Czech Republic extended for a year its ban on issuing visas to citizens of Belarus and extended it to Belarusians holding passports of other countries. The ban was in force until 31 March 2024.

Lammert recalled the 2022 recommendations: they provide for lowering the priority of visa issuance to Russians and for increased attention to security concerns. According to him, the European Commission continues to monitor their implementation and urges EU countries to comply with them. The word "recommendations" is key here: they are not described as binding on states.

The Russian outlet iz.ru writes that some states are going further. In particular, Estonia is blacklisting participants in the conflict in order to bar them from entering the EU. Restrictions, according to the same report, may also follow against Russian military personnel who hold a long-term visa or a residence permit.

The next step may be institutional. According to DW, the European Commission will propose revising the EU Visa Code in order to restrict the issuance of visas to Russians. Politico, citing officials in Brussels, writes that proposals to tighten the visa regime for Russian citizens will be presented in early 2027.

If the proposals come down to a revision of the code, it would give the Commission a lever that, according to Lammert, it does not currently have. For now, decisions on applications are made by national authorities. The statements do not say how exactly the new rules would affect Belarusians who travel to the EU on Russian documents or via Russia.