The European Commission has announced that Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Sweden will stop recognizing non-biometric Russian passports from October 1, 2026, bringing the number of European countries refusing to recognize these travel documents to 15.
The measure will apply to the four EU member states, although Sweden will introduce a transitional period for certain categories of Russian citizens.
Swedish authorities will continue recognizing non-biometric Russian passports until the end of 2026, but only for Russian citizens who already hold a valid visa or residence permit issued by an EU or Schengen country.
Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands will not introduce a similar transition period. As a result, from October 1, 2026, non-biometric Russian passports will no longer be recognized in those three countries.
With the addition of Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Sweden, 15 European countries now refuse to recognize non-biometric Russian passports.
Among the countries that have already introduced similar restrictions are France, Germany, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and the Czech Republic.
The decision concerns the two types of international passports currently issued by Russia. Russian authorities issue biometric passports valid for 10 years and non-biometric passports valid for five years.
Biometric passports contain an electronic chip storing the holder’s biometric data, while non-biometric passports do not.
For Russian citizens traveling to the affected countries, the change means that they will generally need a biometric passport to avoid problems with the recognition of their travel documents, subject to national exemptions and transitional arrangements.
The expansion of the measure to 15 European countries represents another tightening of restrictions on Russian travel documents in Europe and further limits the use of non-biometric Russian passports across the EU and Schengen area.
