A Letter from Luxembourg
Finland's foreign minister has written to European counterparts asking them to stop granting holiday visas to Russian passport holders. Elina Valtonen sent the letter on 12 October 2026, timed to coincide with a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg. The document lays out five separate requests, all aimed at tightening who can enter the Schengen travel zone.
The core proposal is straightforward: no more tourist visas for Russian citizens until the war in Ukraine ends. Finland stopped issuing them in 2022 and now wants the rest of Europe to do the same. Valtonen framed the appeal around fairness, arguing that Russian holidaymakers should not benefit from European freedoms while their government continues military operations in Ukraine.
According to Finland's foreign ministry, Schengen countries issued close to 500,000 tourist visas to Russians in 2025. That figure underscores the scale of travel still taking place, despite existing restrictions and the broader geopolitical climate.
What Finland Wants
Beyond the tourism ban, Valtonen's letter calls for binding restrictions on people close to President Vladimir Putin and those supporting sanctioned individuals or organisations. Another target is Russian athletes and sports officials with government ties, whose participation in international events has become a recurring flashpoint.
Helsinki also wants effective enforcement of rules barring current and former Russian combatants from entering Europe. Finland's foreign ministry describes that measure as agreed by EU member states during the summer, though implementation has lagged.
The fifth request concerns the EU Visa Code itself. Finland wants the European Commission to propose amendments that would allow restrictions to be imposed faster when security or political conditions worsen. A Commission proposal on visa-related threats is expected in January 2027.
Security Concerns and the Schengen Effect
The Schengen system allows visa holders to move between participating countries without routine checks at internal borders. That arrangement means a visa issued in one country can grant access to many others, amplifying the consequences of individual decisions.
An incident in Germany this past August has sharpened the debate. An alleged drone bomb plot reportedly involved a Russian passport holder who had entered using a tourist visa issued by Italy. The case has intensified scrutiny of countries that continue to issue such visas, and it has given weight to Finland's argument that security risks are not confined to the country that stamps the passport.
Finland itself closed its land border with Russia in December 2023, citing concerns about organised migration. The country has issued no Russian tourist visas since 2022.
A Divided Bloc
European governments do not agree on how to handle Russian travel. Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland have pushed for tougher measures. France, Italy and Spain have resisted previous attempts to ban tourist visas outright.
France has defended continued contact with Russian citizens, arguing that cultural exchanges and personal connections can help sustain dialogue. That position draws a line between the Russian state and its population, including civil society and those opposed to the war.
The EU has already made Russian travel more difficult. In November 2025, new rules restricted access to multiple-entry visas for Russian nationals applying inside Russia. Most affected travellers now need to apply separately for each trip. Exceptions exist for certain family members and transport workers, and valid multiple-entry visas issued before the change were not automatically cancelled.
Those measures followed the 2022 suspension of the EU's visa facilitation agreement with Russia, which made applications more expensive and lengthier.
Interim Options on the Table
One compromise under discussion is a German proposal for visas with limited territorial validity. Such a visa would allow travel only within specific countries, rather than across the entire Schengen area. Valtonen has indicated support for this approach as a temporary step.
The question is whether enough member states will back a full tourism ban or settle for something narrower. Finland's letter is an invitation, not a decision. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo is expected to raise the issue at the next European Council meeting.
What It Means for Travellers
If adopted, a tourism ban would not affect all categories of Russian travel. Visas for family visits, business, education and humanitarian reasons would likely remain available, though the specifics would depend on how the policy is drafted.
For Russian passport holders planning leisure travel to Europe, the landscape is already restrictive. A full ban would close off the remaining routes. For European countries that rely on Russian tourism revenue, particularly in southern Europe, the economic trade-off is part of the political calculation.
Finland's proposal reflects a broader tension in European policy: how to respond to security threats without severing all ties to Russian society. The outcome will depend on whether member states can find common ground between those two goals.
