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Russia has advised its citizens travelling to Europe to update their passports ahead of the European Union’s full rollout of a new digital border control regime for non-EU nationals.
The advisory comes as the Entry/Exit System (EES) is being introduced across the Schengen Area, replacing manual passport stamping with the electronic collection of biometric data.
Under the new system, non-EU travellers entering the Schengen zone will have fingerprints and facial images recorded at external borders, allowing authorities to monitor entries, exits and overstays more accurately.
“Before 2022, Russian nationals were among the largest recipients of Schengen visas”
Russian diplomatic missions in several EU countries have cautioned that holders of older five-year, non-biometric Russian passports may encounter difficulties once national authorities begin enforcing EES requirements.
Russia’s embassy in Poland has urged citizens to obtain new 10-year biometric passports in advance, noting that Poland is expected to activate the system in early April.
Other Schengen states, including Germany, France, Denmark and the Czech Republic, have already completed or are in the final stages of preparing their border infrastructure for the new checks.
The European Commission has confirmed that the EES will be implemented in phases following a series of delays linked to technical readiness and coordination among member states.
Once the transition period ends, all Schengen external borders will be required to operate the system.
While EU guidance does not formally describe this shift as a ban on non-biometric passports, the system’s reliance on biometric data means travellers without compliant documents may be unable to complete border procedures and could be refused entry.
Before 2022, Russian nationals were among the largest recipients of Schengen visas, particularly for tourism and business travel. That changed sharply after Vladimir Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, prompting the European Union to impose wide-ranging sanctions and tighten visa policies.
Several member states suspended tourist visa issuance, while others curtailed multi-entry visas and introduced stricter scrutiny of applications.
Despite these measures, travel industry data suggest that demand for Schengen visas among Russian citizens has not disappeared.
Applications continue to be driven by family reunification, education, medical treatment and limited business travel, even as approval rates have fallen and processing times lengthened.
The passport advisory highlights how the EU’s expanding use of biometric border technology is reshaping travel conditions for third-country nationals, particularly those from countries subject to heightened political and security scrutiny.
