Cyprus will suspend visa processing at its third-party centers across Russia and temporarily route all applications directly through its consulates, the country’s embassy in Moscow announced Thursday.
The Embassy of Cyprus said its contract with an external visa processing service provider had expired. Beginning Monday, visa applications will be handled directly by its consular section in Moscow, as well as consulates in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Krasnodar.
Under the temporary system, applicants must submit their original documents and copies in person at least 15 days before their intended travel date.
In a statement posted to its website, the embassy said Russian offices of private visa operator BLS International will stop accepting applications starting Saturday. Russian citizens who submitted applications through BLS International prior to Thursday will still be able to collect their passports from those centers.
“A new agreement with an external service provider is expected to be signed in the near future,” the embassy said, though it did not provide further details.
Cyprus is a member of the European Union, which suspended its visa facilitation agreement with Russia in 2022 and moved to deny Russian citizens multi-entry visas last November. Those collective restrictions have dramatically curbed travel, slashing the number of EU visas issued to Russians from several million annually to hundreds of thousands.
Earlier this month, a group of European countries urged the EU to implement “new restrictive and binding visa measures” for Russian nationals looking to vacation within the Schengen area.
Russian opposition figure Yulia Navalnaya spoke out against such measures in September, warning that broad bans would be a “serious mistake” by reinforcing the Kremlin’s narrative that Europe is inherently hostile to all Russians.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office has designated The Moscow Times as an “undesirable” organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a “foreign agent.”
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work “discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership.” We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It’s quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you’re defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Continue
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.
×
Remind me next month
Thank you! Your reminder is set.
