Norway: Increased Scrutiny of Russian Citizens’ Short-Term Visa Applications

Russian citizens may experience difficulties obtaining tourist visas and short-term entry visas for business purposes, due to high application volume and the political situation. Applications are scrutinized more strictly for compliance with standard visa requirements, including sufficient funds for the duration of stay and the likelihood of return to the home country; in line with recent European Commission guidance on interpretation of Schengen rules. Applicants may face longer processing times and a higher rejection rate. Although applications for work and stay permits do not face additional scrutiny and continue to be accepted and processed at this time, Russian citizen applicants may have issues making international payments required for government filing fees due to economic sanctions imposed on Russia.