European Union: Increased Scrutiny on Russian Citizens' Schengen Visa Applications

The European Commission issued guidance on the suspension of visa facilitation for certain Russian citizens, which allowed for reduced fees and expedited processing. The document published by the European Commission also includes guidelines on general visa issuance in relation to Russian citizens. Under these general guidelines, the Commission reiterated the general principle that Schengen visa applications should be filed in the applicant's country of citizenship or residence, rather than a country of transit or short stay, except in humanitarian situations. The Commission also noted that several EU Member States require consular officials to consult central national authorities for all applications filed by Russian citizens during the current conflict due to security risks. Additionally, the Commission reminded EU Member States that if it was unclear whether the applicant could fulfil visa requirements for the entire planned duration of stay, authorities could reduce the granted visa validity. Finally, the Commission urged EU Member States to assess the applicant’s intention to leave before visa expiry. Although these are reminders of general visa rules predating the conflict, the Commission's reminder may cause additional scrutiny of Russian citizens' visa applications, increase processing times, potentially reduce the visa validity granted, and possibly increase the number of visa refusals.