Canada Decides to Halt Visa Issuance to Russia

According to a statement published on the Government of Canada’s website, Canadian visa application centers in Russia have ceased accepting passports and other documents for visa applications as of January 28. “The Government of Canada encourages Russian citizens to choose another visa application center located outside Russia,” the statement read. Canadian authorities did not disclose the reason for this measure or the timeline for the resumption of the visa centers' operations.

The Canadian visa application centers in Russia operated in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Rostov-on-Don, Vladivostok, and Yekaterinburg. The nearest offices outside of Russia are located in Almaty and Astana in Kazakhstan, as well as Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan.

On January 29, the VFS Global visa application center announced that Russian citizens can still submit biometric data at any visa application center in Russia. To travel to Canada, Russians must obtain a visitor visa.

By the end of September 2025, all Czech visa centers in Russia were closed. All visa applications are now accepted exclusively at the consular section of the Czech Embassy in Moscow. Also in September 2025, the Consulate General of Spain in Moscow ceased accepting visa applications.

In November, the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Sofia would halt the issuance of multiple-entry Schengen visas to Russians, in line with new European Union requirements that prohibited this type of visa for Russians due to the war in Ukraine.

The European Commission has adopted a visa policy strategy aimed at strengthening visa leverages as part of efforts to bolster EU security. As stated by the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, stricter rules will now apply to Russian citizens seeking visas to enter the EU.