Norway will no longer allow entry from May 29 Russians who come to the country for tourism and other “non-primary” purposes importance. The measure will apply regardless of which country issued the Schengen visa, the government announced.
“Russian citizens whose purpose is tourism and other non-essential travel will be deported upon entry through the external border. The tightening applies both to those who have visas issued by Norway before the tightening of visa practices in the spring of 2022, and to visas issued by other Schengen countries,” the message said.
< p>An exception may be made for those Russian citizens who travel to visit close relatives or for the purpose of work and study in Norway or the Schengen area.
A government press release notes that this decision is due to Norway's desire to support allies and partners who are imposing restrictions in response to Russia's full-scale military invasion of Ukraine.
Norway restricted the entry of Russians in the spring of 2022 and suspended the issuance of tourist visas to Russian citizens. Last fall, Norway introduced a ban on the entry of passenger cars with Russian license plates into the country. This happened after the European Commission equated the entry of cars with Russian license plates to prohibited imports. In addition to Norway, six EU countries have banned the entry of cars with Russian registration, including Finland, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Germany.
Earlier, the head of the Norwegian Police Security Service in Western Norway, Torgils Lutro, spoke in an interview with NRK that Russian intelligence agents are working in the region. In his opinion, Russia may be preparing sabotage against critical infrastructure.
Western Norway is home to Northern Europe's largest naval base, Haakonsvern, as well as important oil and gas facilities, power plants and other electricity-related infrastructure.
Schengen countries bordering Russia, except Norway, after the Russian invasion began In Ukraine in 2022, Russians were banned from crossing the border without serious grounds. Entry is possible only for special purposes. We are mainly talking about trips of family members of EU citizens, in the case of Lithuania – also about transit to or from Kaliningrad. The Czech Republic has also banned entry across the external border for Russian tourists.
Norway is not a member of the EU, but complies with most of the sanctions imposed against Russia in connection with the invasion of Ukraine.
Norway is also a member Schengen zone. Russian tourists – holders of Schengen visas issued by other countries – also used the land route through Norway to get into the Schengen zone and fly from Norway to the country they were going to visit. Now the possibility of entering the Schengen zone by land will be completely closed for tourists from Russia.
Prepared by: Sergey Daga