Switzerland will not recognize passports issued by the Russian Federation in the occupied regions of Georgia and Ukraine, the Swiss Federal Council said in its statement. This concerns ordinary and diplomatic passports, residence permits, and ID documents of sailors.

“People from the Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine or Georgia will no longer be able to obtain a Schengen visa or cross the internal Schengen border with a travel document issued by Russia,” the statement reads.

Dates of non-recognition of documents for Ukraine depend on the region’s occupation date. In the case of the occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions of Georgia, August 26, 2008, is indicated as the date.

Visas can be issued with the purpose of humanitarian, national interests or international commitments.

“In August 2008, Russia recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent countries… Switzerland considers these regions as an integral part of Georgia,” the statement reads.

The European Parliament approved the decision on the non-recognition of Russian passports issued in occupied regions of Georgia and Ukraine in November of 2022. The European Council finally endorsed the decision in December 2022.