Norway has already made it more difficult to issue visas for Russian citizens in 2022. Now Russians without a valid reason for traveling should be completely refused entry.
Norway wants to further tighten entry regulations for Russian citizens. From May 29, Russians traveling for tourism and other non-essential purposes will be expelled via the external border when entering Norway, according to a statement from the Norwegian government. The tightening applies both to people who have a visa issued by Norway and to visas issued by other Schengen countries.
“The decision to tighten entry requirements is in line with Norway’s policy of standing together with allies and partners to respond to Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine,” Justice and Public Security Minister Emilie Enger Mehl said in a statement Notice.
Moscow sharply criticized Norway’s decision. “The decisions are of course exclusively discriminatory, we will not accept anything like that,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Such a move will not go unanswered and will further strain the already strained relations between the two countries, he added.
There will be exceptions to the new rule
Oslo had already made it more difficult for Russian citizens to obtain visas in May 2022 in the wake of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. In addition, the border was already more strictly controlled. There will be exceptions to the new rule, for example for visits to close family members living in Norway. Other exceptions would be Russian citizens who work or study in Norway or other Schengen countries.
Norway borders Russia for 198 kilometers in the far north. The only official crossing is the Storskog border station.
The common neighbor Finland had already closed its entire border with Russia in April for an indefinite period. Unlike Finland, Norway is not a member of the EU. However, the Scandinavian country is part of the Schengen area, which means that Russians have so far been able to enter this area via the far north.
Source: Stern
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