Norway has decided to further restrict the entry of Russians into the country by blocking their entry through the only border crossing point that remains open.
Announcing the news, the Nordic country’s Justice Minister Emilie Enger Mehl said that the Storskog border crossing point will close for Russian tourists from May 29, Schengen News reports.
She further explained that the decision to tighten the entry rules for Russians has been taken as a reaction to the ongoing Russian war in Ukraine.
Currently, the Storskog border crossing point is the only point through which Russians have been able to access the Schengen Area directly.
Via this border crossing point, nationals of Russia holding a valid Schengen visa issued by Norway before the spring of 2022 or any other Schengen member state were able to cross the external EU border.
However, as soon as Norway’s new entry rules become effective on May 29, Russians will no longer be able to cross the external border for tourism or other non-essential travel purposes.
This means that Russian shoppers will also no longer be allowed to enter Norway from May 29 as their reason for entering the country is not essential.
These Groups of Russians Will Be Exempted from New Tightened Rules
Despite deciding to tighten the entry rules, the Norwegian authorities have decided to exempt certain groups of Russians from the new restrictions.
As the Norwegian Ministry of Justice and Public Security has explained, Russians who want to cross the border for the purpose of visiting their close family members residing in Norway or any other Schengen country will be permitted entry even after the new rules become effective.
In addition, Russians who work or study in Norway or any other Schengen member state will also be allowed to enter the country as long as they hold the necessary documents.
In the meantime, the Norwegian authorities said that they will continue to monitor closely the border traffic at Storskog and take additional measures if needed.
Source: https://schengen.news/norway-will-close-its-last-open-border-for-russian-tourists-on-may-29/
