“Due to the fact that the European Union does not recognize the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, EU member states will continue to apply existing rules. Therefore, any person permanently residing in Crimea who has received Russian citizenship must apply for a Schengen visa to the relevant structures of member states in Ukraine,” the press service of the EU Delegation to Russia reported.
As Gazeta.Ru has already reported, Batkivshchyna submitted to the Rada a bill “On the protection of the rights and freedoms of citizens in the temporarily occupied territories.” It refers to Crimea and Sevastopol as occupied territories. For citizens of Ukraine, foreigners, and stateless persons, entry to and exit from the temporarily occupied territory is allowed only with special permission and through entry-exit points in accordance with the procedure established by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. Violators face penalties of up to nine years.
Dmitry Baranov, head of the CIS countries department of the Consular Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, told Gazeta.Ru that the European Union's position has created a legal conflict based on the EU's unwillingness to recognize Crimea's incorporation into Russia. Paragraph 1 of Article 4 of the federal constitutional law of March 21, 2014 (on the annexation of Crimea) states that residents of Crimea have already become our fellow citizens.
“From the day the Republic of Crimea was admitted to the Russian Federation and new constituent entities were formed within the Russian Federation, citizens of Ukraine and stateless persons permanently residing on that day on the territory of the Republic of Crimea or the federal city of Sevastopol are recognized as citizens of the Russian Federation. Meanwhile, it follows from the response that the EU does not consider them Russian citizens,” Baranov explained. According to him, the Foreign Ministry is now awaiting official information from the EU clarifying the legal aspects of their position.
“I assure you that although their position is tough now, it will gradually soften. As for residents of Crimea, they are indeed already citizens of Russia, except for those who within a month express their unwillingness to accept Russian citizenship. The migration service is already working in Crimea and mass passportization is underway. Having received a passport, a Crimean will then apply for a Schengen visa in Russia as a Russian citizen,” the diplomat said.
The same point of view was expressed by Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador-at-Large Anvar Azimov. “Those who receive a Russian passport will receive visas as Russian citizens, and Russia will protect their rights in accordance with the law,” says Azimov. “And those who wish to retain Ukrainian citizenship will receive visas there. I don’t see a problem.”
Crimean travel agencies note that so far they have not had any tourists who have exchanged their Ukrainian passport for a Russian one. However, problems with visa issuance have already arisen. “As soon as Crimea became part of Russia, difficulties began,” an employee of the Simferopol travel agency Rio Trans told Gazeta.Ru. “France and Germany have always given visas poorly for Ukrainians. And now they are demanding more documents from Crimeans, finding more subtle reasons for visa refusals. But only slightly. If before there were three refusals out of 10 passports, now there are five refusals out of 10. Other countries—the same Poland in Crimea—issue visas normally. Greece, for example, can issue a one-year visa even in a clean passport.”
There is a visa center in Simferopol that accepts documents for five countries: Lithuania, Sweden, Greece, Bulgaria, and Poland.
Currently, the Poles are not working with Crimea—as soon as the separation of Crimea began, they left. To obtain visas from other countries, Crimean travel agencies have to send documents to Kyiv. Tourists themselves can also go to Odesa and apply for a visa there. Previously, Russians with Russian passports and residence permits in Ukraine could also apply for visas through Crimean travel agencies. “We also sent their documents to Kyiv, everything was fine,” a representative of Rio Trans says.
“There are no official statements from the embassies now,” the Gazeta.Ru interlocutor continues. “But unofficially they say that if tourists have Ukrainian passports, there are no legal grounds to refuse a visa.” The travel agency employee noted that the flow of tourists has not decreased but, on the contrary, has grown. “Residents of Crimea have become more active in applying for visas. Everyone wants a visa because if war starts, they can buy tickets and fly away,” he concludes.
Russian agencies that help tourists obtain Schengen visas say they have not yet heard about possible problems for Crimeans. “Each district is tied to its own visa center, and residents of Moscow can apply in Moscow, and residents of the Urals in the Ural District. It turns out that residents of Crimea will also have to apply for visas in Novorossiysk—that's the nearest consulate to them. If they have a Russian passport, it is perfectly legal to apply at Russian consulates. Later some law will come out that ties Crimea to Novorossiysk. I think that in a month everything will settle down and it will become clear where to go for visas,” an employee of the Moscow travel agency 101 Visa noted.
The Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) also could not give a clear answer on what Crimeans should do. “I have no answer. These are extraordinary events,” ATOR Executive Director Maya Lomidze explained to Gazeta.Ru.
Citizens of states with unrecognized territories travel to Europe in different ways. Thus, citizens of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, whose passports are not recognized in the world, travel to other countries with Turkish passports. Residents of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic use Moldovan passports for travel—they have both Moldovan and Russian passports. Even before the armed conflict with Georgia, residents of South Ossetia received Russian passports, which caused protests from the Georgian leadership.
The residents of Crimea themselves are pondering how difficult it will be for them to get visas to other countries with a Russian passport. And not everyone is ready to exchange documents for this reason. 'I see that European countries are threatening Russia with sanctions and visa cancellations. Probably, with a Russian passport it will be more difficult to go abroad,' explained a resident of Sevastopol, businessman Boris Yuzhny, to Gazeta.Ru. In January, he submitted documents for a foreign passport—still Ukrainian. 'It was possible to pay and get a foreign passport quickly. But I was in no hurry. The document is made free of charge in about a month. And then everything started in February. Who could have foreseen that? Now officials cannot say anything definite. They say—wait, it's unclear what to issue—a Ukrainian foreign passport or a Russian one.'
Boris's girlfriend is studying in Germany. Earlier he planned to visit her, but the events in Crimea have now forced him to think not about vacation, but about his further place of residence. 'I think I'll sell the little house by the sea and leave the region. It's completely unclear what will happen next,' Yuzhny explains.
Vladimir DERGACHEV, Dmitry YEVSTIFEYEV,
Alexander BRATERSKY, Anastasia BERSENEVA.