Recent data from the Polish Ministry of Interior and Administration have shown that the number of Schengen visas granted to Russians so far this year has seen a decrease compared to last year.
According to the most recent figures, from the beginning of this year until October 2024, Poland issued a total of 1,821 Schengen visas to nationals of Russia, Schengen.News reports.
The majority of the visas, 875 of them, were issued to Russians entering Poland on the basis of the Pole’s Card. The second largest number of visas (452) was granted to Russians entering the territory of Poland for humanitarian purposes.
The remaining visas were issued for study, repatriation, and visit purposes. The Polish authorities granted a total of 86 visas for Russians entering the country for study purposes, 175 visas for repatriation purposes, and 168 visas for visit purposes.
As for last year’s figures, the Ministry disclosed that the country granted 4,294 Schengen visas to Russians, with the majority of them being issued for scientific purposes.
By sharing this information on the number of visas granted to Russians, the Polish Ministry of Interior and Administration wanted to prove that the country continues to keep strict visa rules for this nationality in place following the new visa scandal that was unveiled earlier in September.
Through an official statement, the Ministry stressed that the number of entries and exits made by Russians into the territory of Poland cannot be an indication of the toughness of the policy that the country applies.
Poland Checked Over 60,000 Russians Entering Its Territory in First Half of This Year
In addition to having strict visa rules in place, the Polish authorities emphasised that they also carry out thorough checks on Russians entering the country.
The Polish Border Guard said that in the first six months of this year, more than 60,000 citizens of Russia were subject to controls before being permitted to enter the country.
The same authority further explained that the majority of Russians crossing the Polish border (42,000) held documents issued by other European Union countries. In addition, the authority revealed that 34,900 of them held valid residence permits issued by an EU country, and 12,500 of them held a Residence Card issued by the Polish authorities.
Source: https://schengen.news/poland-issued-over-1800-schengen-visas-to-russians-so-far-this-year/
