Entry ban: Why Italy is 'not allowing' Russians into other countries revealed

Expert Muradyan called the alarm about restrictions for Russians with Italian Schengen visas false.

A Schengen visa issued by Italy bans Russians from entering seven European countries at once—this news shocked our compatriots on Wednesday morning, but by lunchtime it had been refuted. However, many of our tourists, unfortunately accustomed to unpleasant surprises, decided that there's no smoke without fire. To reassure them, we found the source of this strange rumor.

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Information surfaced in chat rooms dedicated to Eurovisas on Wednesday morning: Russians who had received Italian Schengen visas noticed a strange notice banning entry to the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Iceland, Latvia, and Lithuania, even in transit. At first, intermediaries fearfully reported that they had encountered such a problem for the first time. Then they suggested that this was a "new reality given the current geopolitical situation." However, when the news reached Italian consular officials, the response was harsh but clear: Italy has not imposed, and has no right to impose, travel restrictions on third-country travel for Russian citizens to whom it has issued visas. "From the perspective of visa regulations, this is nonsense and absurd," was the verbatim response of someone involved in visa issuance. However, the chat room that stirred up the RuNet also contains a photo that actually lists seven European countries. Why are they mentioned on an Italian stamp?

"A number of EU countries have restrictions on old-style passports," suggests Alexey, a Russian visa broker. "And the photo shows either a child's passport, or an old one, valid for five years, without biometrics. There can't be any other reason."

Meanwhile, dedicated public groups have swelled with horror stories claiming that such marks on Schengen visas will automatically block Russian citizens from registering for flights to seven banned countries. That special inspectors will be stationed on trains to check visas and any restrictions on them. Even the fearmongers admit that the restrictions are not stamped on all Russian citizens who received Italian Schengen visas on the same day and at the same location.

Meanwhile, Artur Muradyan, Vice President of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR), studied the matter and offered a comprehensive assessment of the situation: "This is already the second false alarm, following the news about a 'disguised Czech Schengen visa' (they allegedly used it to disguise Russian tourists to avoid losing revenue from them – Author). Stories about the Italian consulate issuing visas with a note prohibiting Russians from visiting a number of other Schengen countries surfaced a year ago, but upon closer inspection, they turned out to be fiction or misrepresentation. The same is true this time. The countries in question (the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Iceland, Latvia, and Lithuania) have not imposed restrictions on Russians holding valid biometric passports. Relevant restrictions exist, but they apply exclusively to citizens traveling on old-style passports (with a five-year validity period). And this is no longer news. For example, Latvia stopped recognizing them on July 15, 2025, and requires completing a special online form. France stopped recognizing them on April 14, 2025. All restrictions in the seven EU countries listed above apply only to old-style five-year passports, as officially stated in the "Recognized Travel Documents" section on the European Council website. In other words, you may indeed be denied entry to a Schengen country with a valid visa. But not because the visa contains any marks, but because the country does not accept your passport directly.