Ljubljana – On November 6, the European Union tightened rules for issuing Schengen visas to Russian citizens. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the number of visas granted to Russians for entry into Slovenia has been on a downward trend, with only a minor uptick noted this year, according to the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs.
The EU initially made it harder for Russians to obtain visas in September 2022 by suspending the simplified visa agreement due to Russian aggression toward Ukraine. The issuance of these visas across the EU plummeted from over four million in 2019 to about 500,000 in 2023, as highlighted by Commission spokesperson Markus Lammert.
Data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicates that Slovenia has similarly reduced the number of visas issued to Russian citizens. In 2019, Slovenia granted 11,435 visas, with 9,563 allowing multiple entries. In 2023, the total was 2,890, including only 515 for multiple entries. In 2024, 262 multiple-entry visas were issued, with a total of 2,870. In the first ten months of this year, Slovenia saw a slight increase, issuing 2,932 visas, of which 221 were for multiple entries.
Following the latest EU regulations, Russian applicants will no longer qualify for multiple-entry visas to the Schengen area and will need to apply for a new visa for each trip. This change will allow authorities to conduct thorough and regular checks on applicants from Russia, as explained by the European Commission last week.
In recent years, there has been a slight increase in the number of Russian citizens holding permanent or temporary residence permits in Slovenia. As of October this year, there are 6,570 Russians with such permits. (November 13)
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