Norway will introduce a ban on the entry of tourists from Russia from May 29
Norway is introducing additional entry restrictions for Russian citizens arriving in the country for tourism purposes. The new rules come into force on May 29.
The decision to restrict entry is consistent with Norway’s position on the need to respond jointly with our allies and partners to Russia’s illegal aggression against Ukraine
Norway has left the opportunity for some Russians to enter the country
The Norwegian government clarifies that the police have the right to refuse entry to a citizen who falls under the new restrictions. These are mainly holders of a tourist Schengen visa. Norway is not a member of the European Union, but is part of the Schengen area.
First of all, Russian citizens who come to Norway “for tourism and other purposes of non-primary importance” will be denied. At the same time, the new rules will also apply to those Russian citizens to whom the kingdom issued a visa before the rules were tightened in the spring of 2022. The new restrictions also apply to those tourists whose visa was issued by other Schengen countries.
However, Norway will still make an exception for some Russian citizens. For example, entry will not be prohibited for Russians who come to the kingdom to see close relatives. This category includes parents, spouses and children. They will also be allowed to come to study and work in Norway or other Schengen countries. For such travel purposes, Schengen countries issue a different type of visa, which is in no way related to the tourist visa.
Norway previously saw no point in blocking entry to Russians
In 2023, Norwegian Minister of Justice and Emergency Situations Emilie Mehl stated that Norway would not introduce a complete ban on the entry of Russians into the country according to the Finnish model due to too few Russian citizens entering the country. According to the minister, in the period from October 1, 2022 to August 16, 2023, 30,796 Russian citizens entered Norway, while as of September 2022, a total of 390 thousand Russian citizens entered Finland.
From September 30, 2022, Russians are prohibited from entering Finland with a Schengen visa for tourism purposes. Helsinki has introduced restrictions on the entry of Russian citizens on a Schengen visa for “non-obligatory” purposes of travel and on the transit of Russians to other Schengen countries.
At the same time, the practice of issuing visas to Russian citizens by the Norwegian authorities was tightened in May 2022. Mehl admitted that Russians are denied a Schengen visa to Norway for tourism purposes.
As of September 22, 2022, the Agreement on the simplified procedure for issuing visas between Norway and Russia was suspended. From October 3, 2023 to Norway prohibited entry by personal cars registered in Russia.
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