Russian tourists no longer welcome in the Czech Republic

Source: Schengen Visa Info

The Czech Republic’s authorities have announced that from the end of this month, the country will start applying stricter entry rules for citizens of Russia.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Czechia, Jan Lipovsky, said while in Prague that the country will introduce an entry ban for Russian tourists on October 25, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

According to Minister Lipovsky, the ban will apply to all Russians who hold a tourist visa, regardless of the issuing country.

This means that not only Russians who have been granted a Schengen visa by the Czech authorities but also those who have been granted a visa by other Schengen-associated countries will not be permitted entry to the Czech Republic.

Announcing the news, Minister Lipovsky said that the ruthless bombing of civilians in Ukraine could not be ignored, suggesting that the ban was necessary, Radio Free Europe explains.

While it took longer for Czechia to ban entry for all tourists from Russia, several other countries already took such a decision earlier in September.

The four EU states that border Russia – Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland – banned Russian tourists from entering their territory on September 19.

The foreign ministers of these four countries said that the decision to introduce an entry ban for Russians was taken on the common ground of protecting internal security, public policy, and the overall safety of the Schengen Area. Apart from taking such measures, they have also called the other countries to also tighten their entry rules for Russians.

Just recently, the Prime Minister of Latvia, Krišjānis Kariņš, called on all European Union countries leaders to stop issuing tourist visas for citizens of Russia.

Moreover, Prime Minister Kariņš said for Guardian that he does not support the idea that permitting entry to the EU for Russians fleeing mobilization would weaken Kremlin’s armed forces.

Previously, SchengenVisaInfo.com reported that the EU is planning to not accept Russian travel documents issued in Ukraine in Georgia.

The European Union Council said that the EU ambassadors have agreed on a mandate for negotiations with the European Parliament on a decision on the non-acceptance of Russian travel documents issued in the two above-mentioned countries.

Such a decision was taken in response to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine as well as it follows Russia’s one-sided decision to recognize the independence of the Georgian territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in 2008.