Frontex: Russians and Chinese misuse Western Balkans visa-free regime

Citizens of China, Russia and Turkey enter the Western Balkan countries without visas and then try to continue their journey towards the European Union, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Frontex, warns in its latest risk assessment.

Brussels, at the same time, is urging countries in the region to tighten visa policies and close the gaps that enable such abuses.

The Border Police of Bosnia and Herzegovina confirms to Radio Free Europe that it regularly receives information from Frontex about illegal migration, human smuggling and possible abuse of the visa-free regime.

She says she is also aware of the efforts of foreign citizens to illegally continue their journey to European Union countries.

"This information does not only concern citizens of the Russian Federation, the People's Republic of China and Turkey, but also citizens of other countries," the Border Police of Bosnia and Herzegovina emphasizes, adding that it constantly cooperates with Frontex and other international partners.

In recent years, many Chinese citizens have arrived in the Balkans by plane and then tried to continue their journey to the EU.

Some Russian citizens, including Chechens, have used the Balkans as a transit route or as temporary shelter after the war in Ukraine began in 2022.

Frontex: Abuses will continue

In its annual risk assessment for the period 2026-2027, published in June, Frontex warns that migratory movements in the Western Balkans will continue to reflect developments on the Eastern Mediterranean route.

According to the agency, citizens of some countries will continue to use the visa-free regime in countries in the region to then attempt to enter the European Union.

Frontex singles out in this category citizens of China, Russia and Turkey, as well as "Jordanian passport holders of Palestinian origin."

According to the agency, migratory pressure can be mitigated by police actions, seasonal factors and the deterrent effect of violence and kidnappings carried out by people smuggling networks.

However, she warns that misuse of the visa-free regime will continue.

The same report states that the uncoordinated visa policies in the Western Balkan countries continue to facilitate the use of flights to the region as a starting point for irregular entry into the European Union.

Frontex adds that the Western Balkans corridor, which runs through Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia towards Slovenia and Austria, will remain the main route for migrants coming from the Eastern Mediterranean route.

The agency did not respond to Radio Free Europe's request for comment regarding warnings about the potential misuse of the visa-free regime in the Western Balkans.

The European Commission has been calling for the harmonization of visa policies for years.

The European Commission continuously calls on the Western Balkan countries to harmonize their visa policies with European Union rules, in order to reduce the risk of irregular migration and misuse of the visa-free regime.

This issue is regularly mentioned in the European Commission's annual progress reports, as well as in reports on the Visa Suspension Mechanism, which monitors whether countries enjoying a visa-free regime with the EU continue to meet the conditions to maintain it.

The Delegation of the European Union to Bosnia and Herzegovina tells Radio Free Europe that this country, as a candidate for EU membership, is expected to further harmonize its visa policy with the list of third countries whose citizens require a visa to enter the European Union, especially when it comes to countries that pose a migration or security risk.

They recall that Bosnia and Herzegovina, through the Reform Agenda, has pledged to repeal annually, in the period 2025-2027, one visa-free regime agreement with a country whose citizens require a visa to enter the EU.

Bosnia and Herzegovina's Foreign Minister, Elmedin Konakovic, said earlier that, by the end of this year, the country will introduce a visa regime for one of these countries, without specifying which one.

However, he stressed that it is "not realistic" that this applies to Turkey, China or Russia.

Bosnia and Herzegovina maintains a permanent visa-free regime with seven countries whose citizens require a visa to enter the European Union: Azerbaijan, China, Qatar, Russia, Turkey, Kuwait and Vanuatu.

In addition, it also implements seasonal visa waivers, mainly during the summer, for Bahrain, Oman and Saudi Arabia – a practice that is not in line with European Union legislation.

The Border Police of Bosnia and Herzegovina tells Radio Free Europe that during 2025, 147.910 entries of Chinese citizens and 125.088 entries of Russian citizens were registered.

Meanwhile, from January 1 to June 16, 2026, 55.359 entries by Chinese citizens and 51.001 entries by Russian citizens were registered.

Denis Avdagić, a foreign policy analyst at the Institute for New Media Strategies (INMS) in Zagreb, says that if Bosnia and Herzegovina fails to meet these demands, it will send a clear message to Brussels.

"High representatives cannot solve all the problems. Part of the responsibility also belongs to the citizens. If someone wants to hold citizens hostage to policies, especially those towards Russia, then they should know that, according to the latest polls, more than half of the citizens in Republika Srpska are in favor of membership in the European Union, while support in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Brcko District is among the highest of all candidate countries," says Avdagić.

"The Western Balkans cannot be an exception"

Avdagić says that the harmonization of visa policy is a requirement that the European Union places on all candidate countries, so the Western Balkan countries cannot be an exception.

He emphasizes that it is clear that the establishment of a visa regime is not a political desire of individual states.

"If this condition is set for everyone and the others have accepted the request for harmonization of the visa regime with that of EU member states, then things are completely clear," says Avdagić.

Visas for Russians in Montenegro until September?

Montenegro is the first country in the region that, under pressure from the European Union, will lift the visa-free regime for Russian citizens.

In November 2025, the Government of Montenegro announced that the visa regime for Russian citizens would be established by September 2026 at the latest.

This measure is part of the obligations that Montenegro has undertaken in the framework of harmonization with European Union rules, in Chapter 24 - Justice, Freedom and Security.

The Montenegrin Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed to Radio Free Europe on June 26 that Russian citizens will need a visa to enter Montenegro and that without this measure it will not be possible to close Chapter 24 of the negotiations with the EU.

The Ministry announced that on June 2, 2026, it began accepting visa applications through the company VFS Global in several cities in the Russian Federation.

According to her, this will significantly facilitate the issuance of Montenegrin visas for Russian citizens and will minimize the consequences of the abolition of the visa-free regime.

Of the total number of foreign nationals entering Montenegro during a year, Russians usually rank second, right after citizens of Serbia.

According to the latest population census, conducted in September 2024, 13.550 Russian citizens with permanent residence live in Montenegro – more than any other group of foreign nationals.

However, official data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs shows an even higher figure, according to which there are 23.330 Russian citizens in Montenegro.

Montenegro relies heavily on tourism, as revenues from this sector account for about a quarter of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Russian tourists are among the most numerous who visit this country.

According to the Statistical Office of Montenegro, during 2025, Russian tourists accounted for 16 percent of all overnight stays by foreign tourists in the country, ranking second after tourists from Serbia, who accounted for 23 percent.

Although Montenegro has imposed sanctions on Moscow in 2022, due to its invasion of Ukraine, the European Union has repeatedly stressed that the harmonization of visa policy is a key condition for progress in membership negotiations.

Montenegro is considered the country with the greatest likelihood of becoming an EU member by the end of this decade.

So far, it has closed 16 out of 33 chapters of accession negotiations.

As for Chinese citizens, the Statistical Office of Montenegro recorded an increase in the number of visitors from China.

During 2025, the number of arrivals from China (82.054) surpassed the previous record of 2019.

However, Chinese citizens cannot enter Montenegro individually without a visa.

Special rules apply to group tours: through Montenegrin travel agencies cooperating with Chinese agencies, they can obtain invitation letters and, if they have booked a tour package, stay in Montenegro for up to 30 days.

Serbia stagnates

As for Serbia, despite repeated calls from the European Union, it has not yet imposed sanctions on Russia, even more than four years after the start of the war in Ukraine.

Russian citizens can enter and stay in Serbia for up to 30 days without a visa.

Since 2022, when the war began, a large number of Russians have moved to Serbia.

According to the census of that year, over 10.000 Russian citizens lived in this country, while the Ministry of Internal Affairs announced that the number of Russians staying in Serbia was over 30.000.

According to estimates by non-governmental organizations, the number of Russian citizens in Serbia is even higher.

The Belgrade Center for Security Policy estimates that, from the beginning of the Russian aggression against Ukraine until the end of 2024, more than 67.000 Russian citizens have received temporary residence permits in Serbia.

Chinese citizens have also been among the most numerous tourists in Serbia for years.

They can enter and stay in this country for up to 30 days without a visa.

As for Kosovo, it has no diplomatic relations with China, as Beijing does not recognize its independence.

For this reason, Chinese citizens cannot enter Kosovo without a visa.

The same rule applies to Russian citizens, who also need a visa to enter and stay in Kosovo.

North Macedonia also requires a visa for both Chinese and Russian citizens.

"It's clear why Russia and China..."

Speaking about the security aspect, foreign policy analyst Denis Avdagiq says he cannot assess specific cases of abuse of the visa-free regime, but adds that Russian citizens have been linked to hybrid activities before.

"It is known that Russian citizens have previously been involved in hybrid activities, not only in the Western Balkan countries, but also within the European Union. While in the EU it is very difficult to pass security checks, whether for obtaining a visa or entering its territory, the situation in the Balkans is different, especially when there is a liberalized visa regime for Russian citizens," says Avdagić.

According to him, the harmonization of visa policy is first and foremost a political test for countries aiming for membership in the European Union.

"If we look at it as a whole, it is clear to everyone why Russia and China are a particularly challenging issue for the European Union. It is precisely on these topics that candidate countries must prove how seriously they want EU membership," concludes Avdagić.