After a break of more than two years, Slovakia has unofficially resumed accepting applications for tourist visas from Russian citizens. Information about this appeared on the website of the Slovak visa center BLS International in Russia. You can currently submit documents in only two cities — Moscow and Saint Petersburg.
This decision was a surprise, as Slovakia, along with Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, the Czech Republic, and Poland, was among the first countries to stop issuing tourist visas to Russian citizens due to the full-scale war in Ukraine. Until now, applications were accepted only from limited categories — relatives of EU citizens, students, diplomats, doctors, or international transport drivers.
The Slovak side has not officially commented on this information, but a representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia confirmed on condition of anonymity: "Yes, it is true." He refused to talk about the reasons for this step, noting that he does not deal with visa issues.
The European Commission reports that in 2024, Russian citizens submitted over 606,000 applications for Schengen visas, which is more than the previous year. At the same time, the rejection rate decreased — from 10.6% in 2023 to 7.5% in 2024.
The situation shows that visa policy in the EU is gradually changing, and it is worth carefully monitoring such decisions.
