Serbia plans to be “ready to enter the Schengen area” by the end of 2027, but is “not considering” introducing visas for Russian citizens.
For a country to become part of Schengen, it is essential, among other requirements, to align its visa policy with that of the European Union (EU). For Serbia, this would mean abolishing the visa-free regime with several countries, including Russia.
“That is not a priority at this moment, nor is it an activity that we are placing at the forefront. We are moving gradually towards alignment.” This was stated to Radio Free Europe by Veljko Odalović, head of the recently formed Coordination Body for Serbia’s Entry into the Schengen Area. Odalović recalled that this is one of the longstanding demands of the European Commission “regarding not only Russia, but also several other countries.”
“We certainly will not do what Montenegro has done and announced, because it has clearly already received signals as to when it will become a member of the European Union. Unfortunately, we are not receiving those signals at this moment,” he said.
From November, Montenegro is introducing visas for citizens of Russia, Turkey, China, Belarus, and Saudi Arabia. Aligning its visa policy with Brussels in this manner, Montenegro has the strongest prospects of becoming an EU member by the end of the decade.
Meanwhile, Serbia’s negotiations have stalled. It has not opened a single negotiating chapter with the EU since 2021.
Vladimir Međak, Vice President of the non-governmental European Movement in Serbia, told RFE that expecting Serbia to be ready for Schengen by the end of 2027 is unrealistic. He noted that the country must take a series of political and technical steps beforehand. “To begin with, Serbia needs to align its visa policy with the European Union. However, until visas are introduced for Russia, this simply cannot be taken seriously, and Serbia has been refusing to do so for years.”
Russian citizens currently enjoy a visa-free regime for up to 30 days, and a large number of Russians have relocated to Serbia since 2022 following the start of the invasion of Ukraine. According to data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia, the largest group of foreigners holding approved residence in Serbia at the end of 2025 were Russian citizens – around 62,000 of them.
However, Međak points out that even if Serbia were to introduce visas for Russian citizens now, “that would be a big deal, but it still wouldn’t bring the level of trust necessary to become part of Schengen.”
‘Sensitive issues’
The Schengen Area allows border-control-free travel between member states for more than 450 million people. Apart from 25 EU countries, Schengen also includes members of the European Free Trade Association: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.
The idea that Serbia aims to be ready for Schengen entry by 2027 was first presented by the Minister for European Integration, Nemanja Starović. “We have our Action Plan (for the accession of the Republic of Serbia to the Schengen Area) which we want to fully implement by the end of 2027, in order to be ready to join the Schengen Area,” he told Radio Belgrade on 10 August.
However, when asked later by Russian media whether this implied imposing sanctions or visa requirements on Russian citizens by that time, Starović said that such a move was “not under consideration.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is responsible for issuing visas and executing visa policy, did not respond to RFE’s question regarding whether Serbia is preparing to introduce visas for Russian nationals within the next year and a half.
Veljko Odalović stated that these are “very sensitive issues” and will be approached as such. When we enter the final phase of preparations, by then we will have to align with the European Union on visa regimes,” he added.
What is Serbia’s plan then?
In early August, the Government of Serbia formed an action team led by the Ministry of Internal Affairs with the objective of fulfilling the criteria for Schengen entry.
“The Coordination Body I lead is an inter-ministerial body which, alongside members of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, includes 12 representatives from other authorities and institutions within the system of the Republic of Serbia,” Odalović said.
As EU members, neighbouring countries waited years to become part of the Schengen area – Croatia waited ten years, while Bulgaria and Romania waited nearly two decades.
When asked about Serbia’s expectations for this process, Odalović acknowledged that it is a procedure “that will take time” and that extensive alignment with EU rules lies ahead.
“We certainly will not be part of the Schengen area until we meet their standards.”
“We will demonstrate our full commitment and readiness both for EU accession and entry into the Schengen area. That is our goal, and we are not sidelining it at any point,” he added.
Serbia currently has a visa-free arrangement with the EU, allowing visa-free travel for up to 90 days within any 180-day period inside the Schengen area.
What does the union say?
This is not the first time Serbia has brought up the Schengen topic. In May this year, it called on the EU to open the Schengen area to Western Balkan candidate countries.
The European Commission pointed out to RFE at the time that third countries can join the Schengen area through the enlargement process. They added that, in exceptional cases, accession can occur via an association agreement with the EU and a separate agreement with existing Schengen-associated states.
As an EU spokesperson noted then, full application of Schengen rules, including the removal of internal border controls, takes place following a unanimous decision by the Council. Before that, it must be verified that the state meets all necessary technical conditions.
The European Commission regularly calls on Serbia to align its visa policy with EU rules, partly to reduce the risk of irregular migration and the abuse of visa-free regimes.
For years, Serbia has also resisted calls from the European Union – whose membership it seeks – to impose sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
‘An illusion of vision’
Vladimir Međak stresses that beyond fulfilling technical requirements for Schengen entry, member states must trust a candidate country enough to entrust it with safeguarding their borders and security. That requires the rule of law and the trust of member states in the country’s judicial system, police, and security apparatus, he says.
“Joining Schengen means joint security control. Therefore, it would mean, for instance, that security in Croatia would be guaranteed by Serbia,” he notes.
“I do not see how this regime can achieve that. Member states currently distrust them to such an extent that they refuse to open even a single chapter cluster in negotiations.” He adds that the key to European integration lies in the compatibility of political elites.
“And our current political elite has shown through all its actions that it is aligned with Russia, Belarus, and Central Asian states when you look at the state of the rule of law, human rights, freedom of speech, and corruption,” he added.
Because of this, in Međak’s view, the Serbian authorities are attempting to provide citizens with an “illusion of vision” about the future by bringing up Schengen once again. “They talk about it because it costs nothing. The government is constantly looking for alternatives to the fact that it cannot lead Serbia into the European Union, as if trying to tell citizens: ‘We haven’t failed,'” he argues.
In July, the European Parliament adopted a resolution assessing that Serbia is regressing in the areas of rule of law, democracy, and alignment with the EU’s common foreign and security policy. At the same time, discussions were held regarding the opening of Cluster 3 in negotiations with Serbia. Although the European Commission advocated for it, there was no consensus among member states to allow Serbia to take a step closer to the EU.
(Radio Free Europe, 25.08.2026)
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/srbija-sengen-eu-vize-rusija/33835628.html