Czechs join other EU states in tightening entry rules for Russian tourists

Russian tourists holding Schengen visas will be turned away by the Czech Republic starting later this month, the foreign minister said on October 12 as the country joined the Baltic states, Finland, and Poland, in tightening entry rules.

The Czech Republic will impose the entry ban starting on October 25, Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky announced in Prague.

The ban applies to Russians holding visas for tourism, sport, or culture regardless of which EU state issued the visa.

"While Russian rockets fall on a children's playground and on people in Ukraine, up to 200 Russian Federation citizens travel to the Czech Republic via international airports every day," Lipavsky said.

The fact that Russia is ruthlessly bombing civilian targets in Ukraine cannot be ignored, he said.

Prague suspended the issuance of most new visas to Russians shortly after the invasion of Ukraine in late February, but it has allowed in visitors at airports with visas issued by other countries in the EU's Schengen travel zone.