EU Considers Restricted Schengen Visas for Russian Tourists

The EU is considering restricting Russian tourists to specific countries within the Schengen Area. The proposal would use limited territorial validity, or LTV, visas instead of creating a new visa category. It matters because a visa would no longer automatically support travel across the wider Schengen zone.

Germany put forward the initiative for discussion at an Oct. 14 European Council visa working group meeting in Brussels. Ireland raised objections. A Russian tourist might receive a visa valid for Italy alone, rather than one covering multiple Schengen destinations.

The proposal’s final scope remains unknown. The council register refers to Russian nationals making nonessential trips, but the underlying document is not public. It is also unclear whether LTV visas would become standard, who would qualify, or when any change could begin.

A limited territorial validity visa is an existing Schengen visa category with a narrower geographic reach. It allows travel only in the country or countries explicitly listed on the visa. This matters because it can separate permission to enter one Schengen country from permission to travel throughout the wider area.

For example, an LTV visa valid only for Italy would allow a Russian tourist to visit Italy. It would not authorize a trip to neighboring Switzerland, and it would not permit transit through another Schengen country outside the visa’s territorial coverage.

A standard Schengen visa is designed for travel across the participating Schengen area, subject to its conditions. The EU proposal would apply the more limited format to some Russian nonessential travelers. Officials have not confirmed whether that would become the default or when it could happen.

The main consequence would be a sharply reduced travel area. An LTV visa authorizes travel only within the country or countries printed on it. A traveler could therefore enter and stay in Italy, but the visa would not provide permission to continue into Switzerland.

The restriction would also affect routes, not just final destinations. A traveler could not use the Italy-only visa to transit through another Schengen country that was not covered. This could disrupt bus tours, multi-country holidays and journeys requiring connections elsewhere in the Schengen Area.

The practical impact would depend on the countries listed on each visa. The article gives Italy-only permission as an example, but the EU has not clarified the proposal’s final scope, which applicants would qualify, or whether these visas would become standard for Russian tourists.

The scale of ordinary travel was large: Schengen countries issued 477,878 tourist visas to Russian nationals in 2025, according to Radio Liberty. The figure was described as a record high. Most were reportedly issued by Greece, Italy, France and Spain.

By comparison, the European Commission’s statistics cited in the reporting show that around 12,000 territorially restricted visas were issued to Russian applicants in 2025. These visas can preserve travel options in countries that still accept certain passports, even when other Schengen countries do not.

The two figures measure different things. The 477,878 figure covers tourist visas issued to Russians, while the roughly 12,000 figure covers territorially restricted visas. The article does not establish whether the proposed restrictions would shift most future tourist visas into the LTV category.

Germany is the country identified as proposing the limited-territorial-validity initiative. Finland is pressing for a stronger step: Prime Minister Petteri Orpo called on Oct. 11 for a complete halt to tourist visas for Russian nationals. Finland and several other European countries have already stopped issuing them.

Other governments continue to issue tourist visas. According to independent Russian outlet Meduza, France, Italy, Spain and Greece remain among the countries doing so. Radio Liberty reported that Greece, Italy, France and Spain issued most of the 477,878 Russian tourist visas recorded across Schengen countries in 2025.

The disagreement reflects different approaches within Europe. Some governments cite espionage, sabotage and infrastructure risks, while others still process tourist applications. Germany’s proposal could create a narrower middle option, but the article does not identify all supporting countries or confirm the final outcome.

Territorially restricted visas are not a new response to political or document-recognition problems. They can preserve limited travel access when some Schengen countries accept a traveler’s passport or visa, while others do not. The restriction keeps the visa valid only where travel is permitted.

The article gives Kosovo as a precedent. In 2011, Schengen countries issued more than 40,000 territorially restricted visas to Kosovo residents. Several European governments then did not recognize Kosovo’s independence or its passports, so a territorially limited visa provided a practical way to authorize travel in accepting countries.

The same mechanism is relevant to some Russian applicants today. Around 12,000 LTV visas were issued to Russian applicants in 2025, particularly helping holders of five-year, nonbiometric passports. Visa-free travel for Kosovo passport holders began in 2024, after the earlier restrictions.

The Schengen system is designed to make travel across participating European countries possible with one short-stay visa, rather than requiring a separate visa for every internal border crossing. That broad coverage is why tourists can plan trips involving several destinations within the area.

An LTV visa works differently. Its territorial validity is written into the visa, identifying the country or countries where it can be used. A visa valid for Italy would allow travel there, but not to Switzerland, and it would not authorize transit through another uncovered Schengen country.

This narrower format can be useful when countries do not share the same document-recognition or security position. The article notes its use for some Russian passport holders and its earlier use for Kosovo residents. The EU is considering it for Russian nationals making nonessential trips, but details remain unsettled.