EU Moves to Tighten Visa-Free Travel Rules Amid Security and Rights Concerns
By Liza Mchedlidze
Wednesday, October 8, 2025
The European Parliament has approved new legislation to make it easier for the European Union to suspend visa-free travel for citizens of countries that pose security risks or violate human rights.
In a vote on Tuesday, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) backed a reform of the visa suspension mechanism that applies to 61 countries whose nationals can currently enter the Schengen area without a visa for short stays of up to 90 days.
The updated rules will allow the European Commission to temporarily or permanently reintroduce visa requirements if there are serious concerns related to security, migration, or respect for international law. Grounds for suspension include spikes in asylum rejections, visa overstays, and serious crimes committed by nationals of the concerned country.
The reform expands the list of reasons for suspending visa-free travel. It now includes hybrid threats such as the instrumentalisation of migrants, so-called "golden passport" schemes that raise security concerns, lack of alignment with EU visa policy, violations of the UN Charter or international human rights law, and failure to comply with international court rulings.
Existing reasons, such as a rise in crime or a lack of cooperation on the return of irregular migrants, remain in place. The changes are designed to deter governments from breaching visa waiver terms and to ensure that the criteria for suspension match those for granting visa-free access in the first place.
Under the new law, the EU will also have the option to suspend visa-free entry specifically for government officials in third countries found responsible for serious violations.
The reform sets clear numerical thresholds: a 30 percent increase in irregular stays or serious offences, and a 20 percent rate of rejected asylum claims. However, the Commission will retain flexibility to act outside these limits if justified.
Rapporteur Matjaz Nemec, a Slovenian MEP from the Socialists and Democrats group, said the updated system strengthens the EU's leverage in defending international law.
"Europe remains the world's most visited continent by tourists and business travellers alike, and our visa policy is therefore one of our strongest foreign policy tools," Nemec said. "With a modernised suspension mechanism, the EU will be able to suspend visa-free travel in the case of serious human rights violations, and can target suspensions at government officials or other groups. This reformed mechanism reinforces our commitment to human rights and international law."
The measure, already agreed informally between Parliament and the Council, passed with 518 votes in favour, 96 against, and 24 abstentions. It will enter into force 20 days after publication in the EU's Official Journal, once the Council gives its formal approval.
The Commission will be able to launch a suspension procedure on its own initiative or in response to a request from an EU member state, based on information from any EU institution. The process can first lead to a temporary suspension and later to a permanent one if the underlying problems are not resolved. So far, visa-free access has only been revoked once, in the case of Vanuatu.
According to RFE/RL Europe editor Rikard Jozwiak, diplomats acknowledge that while the mechanism applies to all 61 visa-free countries, "the proposed updated rules, at least partly, target another country still enjoying EU visa liberalization: Georgia."
Relations between Tbilisi and Brussels have deteriorated since the 2024 elections and the Georgian Dream government's decision to pause EU integration efforts, a move that triggered mass protests and a heavy-handed response from authorities.
In July, the European Commission warned Georgia to meet eight reform conditions by August, including repealing restrictive laws and aligning its policies with EU standards. Earlier, the EU suspended the use of diplomatic passports for Georgian Dream officials.
The Georgian government accused the EU of "blackmail" over the visa-free regime. In late August, Tbilisi sent a letter to the European Commission that, according to RFE/RL sources, did not address the EU's main concerns.
RFE/RL also reported that as many as 19 EU member states may support at least a temporary suspension of Georgia's visa-free status if the situation does not improve.
