On 7 November the European Commission announced that Russian nationals will no longer be eligible for multiple-entry Schengen visas and must instead apply for a fresh visa for every journey. The policy, framed as a security response to ‘sabotage and disinformation risks’, applies uniformly across all 25 Schengen states, including Belgium.
Belgium’s Foreign Affairs ministry confirmed it will reconfigure its Moscow visa-processing contract with outsourcing provider VFS Global to focus on single-entry C-type visas valid for a maximum of 90 days within 180. Priority lanes for journalists and human-rights defenders remain, but business-travel facilitations are suspended; Russian executives attending EU-based board meetings will need case-by-case clearance.
![EU abolishes multiple-entry visas for Russians; Belgian consulates move to single-trip screening]()
For Belgian firms in the chemicals, diamond-trading and heavy-machinery sectors that still maintain Russian subsidiaries, mobility planners face extra lead-times and higher costs. KBC Bank’s compliance team estimates visa turnaround will lengthen from 10 days to 3–4 weeks due to additional security vetting. Some companies are shifting meetings to Dubai or Istanbul to avoid Schengen bottlenecks.
Lawyers note that Belgium’s regional economic permits (Flanders, Wallonia, Brussels-Capital) will remain prerequisites for Russian intracompany transferees. The new EU rule could also affect Belgian-based airlines flying crews with Russian passports, who may now need airport transit visas for Schengen stopovers.
Travel-risk advisors urge Belgian employers to audit nationality data in HR systems and communicate the change to any dual citizens who travel on Russian documents. The Commission will review the measure after six months, but officials privately say a reversal is unlikely while the war in Ukraine continues.
Belgium’s Foreign Affairs ministry confirmed it will reconfigure its Moscow visa-processing contract with outsourcing provider VFS Global to focus on single-entry C-type visas valid for a maximum of 90 days within 180. Priority lanes for journalists and human-rights defenders remain, but business-travel facilitations are suspended; Russian executives attending EU-based board meetings will need case-by-case clearance.
For Belgian firms in the chemicals, diamond-trading and heavy-machinery sectors that still maintain Russian subsidiaries, mobility planners face extra lead-times and higher costs. KBC Bank’s compliance team estimates visa turnaround will lengthen from 10 days to 3–4 weeks due to additional security vetting. Some companies are shifting meetings to Dubai or Istanbul to avoid Schengen bottlenecks.
Lawyers note that Belgium’s regional economic permits (Flanders, Wallonia, Brussels-Capital) will remain prerequisites for Russian intracompany transferees. The new EU rule could also affect Belgian-based airlines flying crews with Russian passports, who may now need airport transit visas for Schengen stopovers.
Travel-risk advisors urge Belgian employers to audit nationality data in HR systems and communicate the change to any dual citizens who travel on Russian documents. The Commission will review the measure after six months, but officials privately say a reversal is unlikely while the war in Ukraine continues.
