Czech Foreign Ministry rejects Russian claims about “disguised” visas

The Russian daily Komsomolskaya Pravda reported Monday that the Czech Republic had begun issuing visas to Russian tourists disguised as permits for other purposes, allegedly to offset losses in tourism revenue.

The Czech Foreign Ministry dismissed the report, saying there had been no change in the country’s approach. “With the exception of strictly defined cases, we are not accepting visa applications from Russian citizens,” ministry spokesperson Daniel Drake told Novinky.cz. Exceptions listed on the ministry’s website mainly concern visits by close family members, he said.