On 9 September 2022 the European Council adopted a Decision on the suspension in whole of the application of the Agreement between the European Community and Russia on the facilitation of the issuance of visas to the citizens of the EU and Russia.
Following the Council Decision on the full suspension of the application of the Visa Facilitation Agreement, Denmark and the Associated Countries are expected to suspend their bilateral agreements following their respective national procedures.
Now consulates can:
- Deprioritise non-essential travel: Consulates should give lower priority to applicants who do not have an essential reason to travel, such as tourists, when attributing visa appointments.
- Extend the period for deciding on visa applications: Consulates could take up to 45 days to take a decision on visa applications (against 15 days in regular cases) so as to ensure more thorough checks on applications lodged by Russians.
- Request additional supporting documents: Member States’ consulates could request additional documents beyond the standard list, to ensure a high level of scrutiny, in particular in cases of possible threats to public policy, public order and international relations.
