Ljubljana – The European Union further tightened the rules for issuing Schengen visas to Russians on November 6. The total number of visas issued to Russian citizens for entry into Slovenia has been declining since 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine, with only a slight increase observed this year, according to data from the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs.
The EU already made it more difficult for Russians to access visas in September 2022 due to Russian aggression against Ukraine by freezing the agreement on simplified visa issuance. The number of these visas at the European Union level has decreased from more than four million to around 500,000 between 2019 and 2023, as stated last week by the Commission’s spokesperson Markus Lammert.
Data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shows that Slovenia has also issued significantly fewer visas to Russian citizens during the same period. In 2019, Slovenia issued 11,435 visas, of which 9,563 were for multiple entries. In 2023, the total number of visas issued was 2,890, with 515 for multiple entries. In 2024, 262 visas were issued for multiple entries, totaling 2,870. In the first ten months of this year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recorded a slight increase in visa issuance, having issued 2,932, of which 221 were for multiple entries.
Following the latest tightening of EU rules for issuing Schengen visas, Russian applicants will no longer be eligible for multiple-entry visas to the Schengen area, but will have to apply for a new visa before each trip. This way, the competent authorities will thoroughly and regularly check applicants from Russia, the European Commission explained last week.
In recent years, there has been a noticeable slight increase in the number of Russian citizens with permanent or temporary residence permits in Slovenia. As of October this year, 6,570 Russians hold such permits. (November 13)
