Spain is introducing an airport transit visa requirement for Russian ordinary passport holders who want to transit through the international zones of Spanish airports.
Announcing the news, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Spain said that the airport transit visa requirement for Russian citizens will become mandatory on July 12, 2025, Schengen.News reports.
As soon as the new rule enters into force, only Russians who hold a valid airport transit visa will be allowed to transit through Spanish airports. On the other hand, those who do not hold the document will not be allowed to take connecting flights from any Spanish airport.
Citizens of the Russian Federation holding ordinary passports must have an airport transit visa (TAP) for transit through the international zones of Spanish airports. This measure will come into force on July 12, 2025. Consequently, from this date onwards, all holders of Russian ordinary passports wishing to transit through Spanish airports must have a valid TAP visa.
The airport transit visa requirement will not be mandatory for all Russians. As the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explains, the airport transit visa is not required for those who hold a valid Schengen or another type of visa.
Exempted from the requirement are also Russian nationals holding a residence permit issued by any of the EU/EEA member states and diplomatic passport holders.
Transit Time Through Spain Should Not Exceed 24 Hours
Under the current rules, Russians and other nationalities who obtain an airport transit visa to pass through Spanish airports must ensure that their transit time does not exceed 24 hours.
To obtain an airport transit visa, Russians need to submit an application using the official form and fill out all the sections.
They also need to submit a recent passport-size photograph, the pages of the passport containing biometric data, a document proving that they will be continuing their journey from Spain, and proof of residence.
In addition to the above-mentioned, airport transit visa applicants also need to pay the consular fee, which is mandatory.
Spain reviews that airport transit visa applications within 15 calendar days from the date of submission. However, in certain cases when additional documents are required, the time can be extended to up to 45 days.
Spain is not the only country that has introduced the airport transit visa requirement for Russian citizens. Czechia has also imposed such a measure and a number of other member states have stopped the issuance of Schengen visas for Russians altogether.
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