European Union: Council Adopts Decision to Not Recognize Russian Travel Documents Issued in Occupied Georgia and Ukraine

The EU Council has adopted a decision on the non-recognition of Russian travel documents issued in occupied regions of Ukraine and Georgia. The decision lists Russian travel documents, including passports, that EU Member States should not accept if they were issued in, or issued to persons residing in, occupied regions of Georgia or Ukraine. In practice, such documents should not be accepted as valid travel documents for visa applications or crossing the borders of the Schengen area. Though most EU Member States are already refraining from accepting Russian passports issued in occupied foreign regions, the decision brings legal certainty to these restrictions.