At the same time, the website emphasizes that the issuance of a visa does not guarantee the possibility of immediate entry into the territory of France, where restrictive measures at the border are still in force.
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In particular, travelers from Russia, if they do not have a certificate of vaccination with a vaccine recognized in the European Union, upon arrival in France will be required to present the results of a coronavirus test, as well as “reasons for visiting the country.” They may also be selectively asked to undergo additional testing for covid upon arrival in the country, if positive, they will be required to self-isolate.
However, despite the resumption of issuing visas to Russian tourists, this does not mean that they will be able to get to France. After all, after the start of Russian military aggression against Ukraine, the European Union announced the closure of airspace for Russian-owned, Russian-registered and controlled aircraft.
At the same time, almost all European airlines have suspended flights from Russia to Europe. The exception is the Serbian state-owned Air Serbia, which lied about a complete stop of flights to Russia and still operates single flights between Belgrade and Moscow. Wizz Air also operates regular flights from Moscow to Budapest. This is the only air connection with Europe now available to Russians.
It is also worth noting that at the moment no decision has been made at the EU level to cancel the issuance of tourist visas to Russians because of the war in Ukraine. So far, the EU authorities have announced only the abolition of the so-called privileged entry for Russian diplomats and businessmen. At the moment, only a few European countries have decided to stop issuing visas to Russians, including the Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Norway.
In addition, as UNIAN reported, on March 28, 2022, the European Commission called on EU member states to immediately cancel all schemes for obtaining “golden passports” (citizenship in exchange for investment), as well as to consider the possibility of revoking citizenship or residence permits from citizens of Russia and Belarus involved in military aggression against Ukraine in order to avoid circumventing sanctions. Wealthy Russians were very fond of using this scheme to be able to move freely around the Schengen countries.
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