A total of 262 visas were granted to Russian nationals in 2023 out of 283 applications filed to Czechia. This is one of the lowest application rates of Russians across the EU, with only Iceland having lower rates (40 applications).
According to the Czech counterintelligence services, the BIS, by being involved in the visa process, has contributed to mitigating the security threats caused by the movement of Russian applicants. Over 50,000 visas of Russian applicants were rejected in 2023 – applications that raised concerns about the true intentions of applicants, Schengen.News reports.
Ladilav Sticha, the BIS spokesman, explained for HlidaciPes.org that each member state could consult someone about issuing a visa in another EU member state – the process has to be done within seven days.
Czech measures are among the strictest in Europe and significantly contribute to reducing the security threat posed by the movement of Russian intelligence officers.
Czech Services Carried Out Precautionary Measures Against Nearly 1.7 Million Applicants in 2023
The Czech counterintelligence checked almost 1.7 million applications for Schengen visas that were filed at Czech embassies and consulates as well as foreign diplomatic missions.
Schengen.News has previously reported that Russians filed 24 per cent fewer visa applications in 2023, with Iceland, Poland and Czechia recording the most significant decreases, while Italy was the main recipient country.
In the Czech Republic, strict rules were adopted for the submission of visa applications by Russian and Belarusian citizens, which resulted not only in reducing their number, but also in limiting the possibility of misuse of visas by persons cooperating with a foreign power.
According to the spokesperson of BIS, more than four per cent of the total number of visas filed by Russian citizens were turned down in 2023 – in 2020, only one in 1,000 were rejected.
Poland Issued Thousands of Visas to Russians Despite Restrictions
Since the war in Ukraine happened, Schengen countries have implemented a long list of sanctions against Russians, one of the stringiest of those being visas.
Czechia closed two of its consulates to the Russians in March of 2022, both in Brno and Karlovy Vary, which led to only the Czech consular office in Moscow remaining as an alternative for Russians to apply for visas. In 2023, 283 applications by Russian applicants were filed at this office.
Poland also vowed to issue fewer visas but in a recent scandal revealed by the Polish Supreme Audit Office (NIK), the former PiS government issued 1,838 visas to Russian citizens in 2023, some of which (55) were work visas.