Germany Reportedly Proposes Limiting Russians' Schengen Visas to Select Countries
On October 14, an EU visa policy working group in Brussels discussed a German proposal to give Russians tourist visas valid only in one or a few countries. The document is not public, so details remain unknown.
A working group on visa policy under the Council of the EU met in Brussels on October 14 and considered issuing Russian citizens limited territorial validity (LTV) visas for nonessential travel, including tourism. Such visas permit travel only to the one or several countries named on them, instead of the whole Schengen zone. According to the news outlet Rapporteur, which cited a document its correspondent saw, Germany put forward the idea. Ireland has already criticized it. The document is not public, so it is unclear how widely the visas would be used or what criteria would apply.
What LTV visas are
Unlike standard Schengen visas, an LTV visa allows travel only to the countries listed on the sticker in the passport. Transit through other Schengen states is also banned. A holder of a visa valid only for Italy would, for instance, break the rules by visiting neighboring Switzerland. Russians have long received such visas, and they have grown more common: 12,000 Russian citizens got them in 2025. The human rights organization The Ark says they are most often issued to holders of five-year nonbiometric international passports, since 15 Schengen countries no longer recognize those documents.
Background and criticism
In January 2026, the European Commission proposed developing visa restrictions for citizens of countries engaged in “hostile activities against the EU.” On October 11, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo proposed a complete halt to tourist visas for Russians. The official justification is security, including espionage, property damage and sabotage.
The Ark's founder, lawyer Anastasia Burakova, doubts the measure would improve security. She says Moscow carries out sabotage using EU citizens, citizens of visa-free countries and Russians who moved to the EU before February 2022. She also said LTV visas could be acceptable to countries opposed to a full ban on tourist travel.
Enforcement
Burakova said visiting a country not listed on the visa would be illegal and could lead to a fine and deportation. Border checks inside the EU can be temporarily reintroduced, and identity can also be checked during police stops, hotel check-ins or hospital visits. In her view, the current system could handle large-scale issuance without major expense.
The European Council meets on October 15–16, where this proposal and the Finnish call for a full ban on tourist visas will likely be discussed.
