Only those passport applications will be considered that have been submitted by individuals through organizations that are sending them on a foreign trip and that are registered with the Foreign Ministry, the ministry's consular department says in a press release.
The Foreign Ministry will continue to issue passports for persons sent on an assignment abroad by government bodies, foreign trade agencies, and arts unions, the press release says.
The ministry's consular department has denied rumors that it has reduced its passport issuance operations under pressure from the European Union. It is in our foreign partners' interest that Russians travel abroad on precisely Foreign Ministry passports, as these passports are issued in line with international standards, providing high-level protection against forgery, the department points out in its press release.
