EU Tightens Visa Rules for Russians, but ‘Golden Passports’ Keep Europe Open

More than 50,000 Russians already own alternative passports that get around the EU's prohibition on multi-entry visas on Thursday.
Since 2022, thousands of Russians, including intelligence agents and defense contractors, have purchased citizenship from Serbia, Malta, and Turkey.
With thousands more Russians eligible for naturalization between 2027 and 2030, enforcement gaps weaken limits as EU nations maintain control over citizenship.

The European Union decided yesterday to do away with multi-entry Schengen visas for most Russian nationals, marking a significant increase in travel restrictions against restricting Russian access to Europe.

Ordinary Russian nationals who wish to visit, travel, or do business in Europe will be impacted by the multi-entry visa prohibition. However, affluent Russians and political leaders who bought or acquired alternate citizenship will not be significantly impacted because they can use their new passports to enter Schengen nations.

Tens of thousands of Russians (at least 50,000) have obtained citizenship through citizenship by investment programs and other naturalization pathways that offer visa-free or significantly facilitate entry into Europe, regardless of whether the nation has lifted restrictions on Russian visa applications, according to an analysis of data from governments and investigative reporting. These countries include Turkey, Malta, and Serbia.

According to Christo Grozev, the main Russia investigator for Bellingcat, "the EU can block Russian visas today but it will not be able to ban Serbian citizens from entering Schengen nations tomorrow." "That workaround has already been discovered by thousands of Russians."