Cyprus Instructs Visa Centers to Open In Eight Russian Cities

Cyprus, the small, largely Greek-influenced EU nation situated near Turkiye, has engaged BLS International, an international visa processing outsourcing agency acting on behalf of governments, to open visa centers in eight Russian cities. These are Moscow; Saint-Petersburg; Ekaterinburg; Krasnodar; Rostov-on-Don; Nizhniy Novgorod; Samara; Kazan; and Novosibirsk.

Cyprus has been hit hard in two main areas as regards the EU’s overall attitude towards Russia, economically as numerous Russia-owned businesses have left their Cypriot domicile to return to Russia or other CIS nations, and as the number of visiting Russian tourists has plummeted. The move by Cyprus is a pushback against EU visa policy attitudes towards Russian nationals, who generally find it extremely difficult to obtain visas. It may lead to other EU nations following suit as the economic impact of discriminating against visiting Russians damages their tourism and associated industries.

Tourism is a vital part of Cyprus’s economy, contributing significantly to GDP, with figures generally around 15% in direct contributions and an additional 14% when including indirect effects. In 2021, Russian tourists made up 42% of all Cyprus tourist arrivals, suggesting an annual value to the Cypriot economy of about €5.46 billion against Cyprus’s total annual GDP (PPP) of about €40 billion that year.

Other EU economies with a high proportion of tourism (over 18%) as part of their overall annual GDP include Croatia, Greece, Malta, Portugal, and Spain.

Country	Number of Russian Tourists (2021)	Estimated Economic Value (2021)
Croatia	145,000	€665 million
Greece	120,000	€550 million
Malta	9,600	€44 million
Portugal	39,000	€179 million
Spain	155,000	€710 million

Shikhar Aggarwal, Joint Managing Director at BLS International, said, “This collaboration with the Embassy of Cyprus in Russia is a meaningful milestone that reflects the trust placed in us to deliver services with integrity and global standards. Through this collaboration, we aim to ensure that Russian travellers to Cyprus benefit from a seamless, clear, and efficient experience as we continue to drive innovation in international mobility.”