Italy bans Russians from entering other Schengen countries: fact or fiction?

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Italy has introduced new rules for Russian citizens holding a Schengen visa. They are allegedly banned from visiting seven European countries, with the restriction marked directly in their passports — something industry experts say they had never encountered before, reports Gazeta.ru citing other sources. However, Russia’s Association of Tour Operators (ATOR) has already dismissed the news as fake.

The list reportedly includes the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Iceland, and France — which traditionally ranks among the top countries for Schengen applications and approvals. Yet the details vary, as noted by the Telegram channel SHOT, the original source of the story. Some travelers allegedly faced no Baltic restrictions. Subscribers claim that relevant passport stamps are being issued, meaning entry is barred even in transit. In addition, the report suggests that Italian train conductors now check visas, while airport systems prevent Russians from boarding flights to the banned EU countries.



ATOR called these claims a hoax. Vice-president Artur Muradyan stressed that the statements have no basis in reality, noting that the only restrictions apply to Russians with old-style five-year passports. France stopped recognizing such documents on April 14, 2025, and Latvia followed suit on July 15.

ATOR also drew attention to a SHOT screenshot showing an Italian visa valid from December 1 to December 26, 2025. At the time of publication, the holder could not yet have entered the EU, making it impossible to describe train checks or “airport system” failures. Moreover, the channel never provides traveler names or full documents — only the visa’s validity period. In practice, this could have been a child visa tied to an outdated parent’s passport.

Experts further argue that the story about visa checks on trains does not stand up to scrutiny, since conductors are only authorized to request tickets. Residency permits fall strictly under the competence of border and police authorities. In conclusion, ATOR urges travelers to treat such “scare stories” with skepticism, as they are spread mainly for traffic. Tourists are advised to rely only on official sources — consulates and accredited visa centers.

Meanwhile, Mikhail Abasov, CEO of Visa Consult Plus and an expert with the Russian Union of the Travel Industry, explained that visa tightening is indeed a growing trend across the EU, including in countries once seen as relatively lenient toward Russia. Difficulties are arising with France, Spain, and Greece — where a prepaid flight ticket is now mandatory. He also pointed to the migration crisis, which increases pressure on visa services and drives stricter rules.



For reference, Italy was the top destination for Russians in 2024, when they filed over 160,000 visa applications, with 152,254 approved — a very high success rate of 94.3%. France received 134,885 applications and issued 123,890 visas, while Spain processed 111,187, but topped the rejection chart with 9,916 denials. In Greece, the approval rate stood at 85.7% (59,703 visas). Poland boasted an almost perfect approval level of 98.82%, though it received only 254 applications. Norway had even fewer — just 52.

Overall, 606,594 Russians applied for Schengen visas in 2024, with 552,629 approvals. The approval rate averaged 89.32%. Russians accounted for 5.21% of all applicants, ranking fifth worldwide. This high demand provoked negative reactions in some EU countries, where the trend is increasingly viewed as a security risk. The European Commission is preparing new recommendations to tighten rules, expected in December 2025.

European Parliament member Fernand Kartheiser does not rule out a complete ban on Russian tourist visas. His colleague Tomas Zdechovsky, however, doubts such a scenario, seeing fee hikes, longer processing times, and quotas in security-sensitive countries as more realistic.

The EU is also debating limits on Russian diplomats’ travel. Czech foreign minister Jan Lipavský has suggested banning them from leaving their accreditation country, stressing that the current system gives Moscow an “unwarranted advantage.”