- Russian citizens are now prohibited from entering Poland even if they have a Schengen visa.
As reported today, Sunday, September 26, Russia TASS media outlet, Poland has announced restrictions on the entry of Russian citizens with Schengen visas through air and sea ports. Carriers transporting Russians to Polish territory, who do not have a valid reason to enter, also face payment for their repatriation.
These measures had previously been introduced at vehicle and pedestrian checkpoints, but after Mariusz Kaminski, head of the Polish Ministry of the Interior signed a decree, they became applicable to air and sea routes as well.
Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia had already banned the entry of Russian citizens with Schengen visas issued by third countries.
On September 12, the European Union suspended the visa facilitation agreement with Russia. Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands stopped accepting documents from Russian tourists.
The European Commission recommended on September 9 that EU member states not issue long-term multiple-entry Schengen visas to Russians. They were also instructed to increase the time for issuing visas to Russian citizens to a maximum of 45 days for thorough checks, gazeta.ru reports.