Published by the European Commission Official clarifications In connection with the application of banking restrictions on Russian citizens as part of the nineteenth package of EU sanctions. For each document I notice Human rights project “Kovchig”, which helps immigrants from Russia.
According to the document, payment penalties should not apply to Russians who have a temporary residence permit (residence permit), permanent residence permit (permanent residence) or EU citizenship, as well as to holders of long-term type D visas. Work, study and humanitarian visas as well as family reunification visas fall into this category.
To be exempt from sanctions restrictions, D visa holders must register at the place of residence in the host country, which is sufficient to obtain residence status, according to the European Commission’s clarifications.
European banks and payment services must suspend the provision of services to a Russian citizen if they have information that he or she is no longer resident in the EU, EEA or Switzerland. But this does not mean the immediate closure of his bank account.
The restrictions should also not apply to companies that are not registered in Russia but run or controlled by Russians – unless they are used to circumvent sanctions.
At the end of 2025, Russians living in European countries said that the online bank Revolut began sending them letters asking them to provide a valid residence permit in the European Union. Users then received a notification that their accounts had been frozen. He also stated that the contract with the customer will be terminated at the end of the year. The bank referred to the nineteenth package of European Union sanctions imposed on Russia. Following this, the European Commission announced that banks should not block the accounts of Russians who legally reside in the European Union.