The European Commission announced on 7 November 2025 that Russian citizens will no longer be eligible for multi-entry Schengen visas; every trip must now be supported by a fresh application. The measure—endorsed unanimously by member states—cites heightened security risks, including sabotage and drone incursions linked to Russia’s war against Ukraine.
For Poland, whose consulates in Moscow, St Petersburg and Kaliningrad have seen sharp drops in demand since the 2022 suspension of the EU-Russia visa-facilitation agreement, the change means further administrative work but lower overall volumes. Warsaw’s foreign ministry confirmed that its consular posts would switch to single-entry processing from 15 November and urged applicants to allow longer lead times.
![EU ends multi-entry Schengen visas for Russians, Poland prepares for single-entry processing]()
The move will most affect Russian business travellers who used multi-entry C-type visas to service clients in Poland’s IT and real-estate sectors. Polish companies employing Russian nationals on local contracts will need to help staff apply for national D-type work visas instead, or factor in repeated Schengen filings for short trips to headquarters abroad.
Border-guard officials at Warsaw-Chopin and Gdańsk airports are updating training materials to detect counterfeit single-entry stamps and to brief carriers on the new rules. Travel-management firms recommend revising Russian traveller profiles in booking systems to flag the lack of a return visa.
Although the security rationale dominates headlines, the decision underscores a broader EU trend toward differentiating visa access by geopolitical risk—an approach that mobility managers should expect to expand to other nationalities if tensions persist.
For Poland, whose consulates in Moscow, St Petersburg and Kaliningrad have seen sharp drops in demand since the 2022 suspension of the EU-Russia visa-facilitation agreement, the change means further administrative work but lower overall volumes. Warsaw’s foreign ministry confirmed that its consular posts would switch to single-entry processing from 15 November and urged applicants to allow longer lead times.
The move will most affect Russian business travellers who used multi-entry C-type visas to service clients in Poland’s IT and real-estate sectors. Polish companies employing Russian nationals on local contracts will need to help staff apply for national D-type work visas instead, or factor in repeated Schengen filings for short trips to headquarters abroad.
Border-guard officials at Warsaw-Chopin and Gdańsk airports are updating training materials to detect counterfeit single-entry stamps and to brief carriers on the new rules. Travel-management firms recommend revising Russian traveller profiles in booking systems to flag the lack of a return visa.
Although the security rationale dominates headlines, the decision underscores a broader EU trend toward differentiating visa access by geopolitical risk—an approach that mobility managers should expect to expand to other nationalities if tensions persist.
