Czech Republic will no longer issue residence permits to Russians and Belarusians

The Czech Republic will not issue visas and residence permits to Russians and Belarusians in the future. The government approved the extension of the resolution on the proposal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said.

Initially, the document was valid until the end of March 2023, and then it was automatically extended for another year. Now the ban is indefinite, Travel News reports.

Applications for residence permits in the Czech Republic submitted by Russians or Belarusians at the embassy are considered inadmissible. This means that there are no proceedings for them. Since last year, the ban has also been extended to citizens of the Russian Federation and Belarus who simultaneously hold two passports and, accordingly, citizenship of other states.

However, there are exceptions and they will be finalized, according to the government. The following people are not subject to the restrictions:

- foreigners who already have a permanent residence permit in the Czech Republic;

- family members of a foreigner who has a residence permit in the Czech Republic;

- family members of a Czech or other EU citizen;

- Belarusian students who have received a scholarship in the Czech Republic, the EU or another international organization.

As previously reported by Travel Wise, the Canadian government has announced its intention to resume issuing visas to Mexican citizens. The reason for this initiative is the high demand for asylum applications in the country, which in 2023 amounted to 17% of all asylum applications in Canada.