MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th July, 2020) The French embassy in Russia told Sputnik on Wednesday it would not reopen applications for tourist visas unless recommended by the European Union to officially reopen the border.
"Russia is presently still not on the list of countries for which the restrictions on EU travel have been lifted. Therefore, applications for short-term tourist visas are still not accepted by our partner VFS visa centers," the embassy said.
When asked if France will resume the issuance of tourist visas after the European Council okays the reopening of borders, the embassy replied in the affirmative, saying that "that is the rule."
At the same time, the embassy said that the applications have become available for other types of visas, including for long- and short-term educational purposes, family reunification, business and repatriation.
The European Council put together the first list of non-EU countries with clearance to reopen borders for non-essential travel on July 1. The criteria included their epidemiological environment, counter-COVID policies and unspecified "economic and social considerations."
The list is updated every 15 days, but since it is not mandatory, many EU countries avoid it.
