The final weeks of November 2025 brought three major news items from the world of international migration. Thailand has tightened visa travel regulations. Armenia is preparing a large-scale reform of its temporary and permanent residence permit systems. Montenegro plans to introduce visas for Russians. We delve into the details of each change, with figures, documents, and forecasts.
номад-эксперт
Thailand Closes Borders to Frequent Entries
The Kingdom’s Bureau of Immigration has launched four new measures against visa run abuse. The main one is a limit of two visa-free overland entries. After that, there’s a possible refusal. Since the beginning of 2025, the country has already denied entry to approximately 2,900 foreigners with suspicious entry histories. The reason is clear: authorities link frequent visa runs to cybercrime and illegal work.
A few facts about the new rules:
- Land borders no longer allow extensions – only 60 days, that’s all.
- Repeated entries without returning home raise suspicion among officers.
- Those deported through border crossings will no longer be able to return.
DTV visa as a legal alternative
Destination Thailand Visa is what the authorities are offering to replace visa runs. A five-year visa for remote workers. From July 2024 to July 2025, the program received more than 35,000 applications.
The conditions are quite lenient. 500,000 baht in your account (approximately $13,000), proof of remote work or freelancing. You can enter multiple times and stay up to 180 days per visit. A key feature is legalization through Thailand’s “soft power”: Muay Thai and cooking classes, as well as medical tourism, are also suitable. This expands the target audience far beyond IT specialists.
Armenia is overhauling its legalization system
The government has approved a bill that radically changes immigration legislation. It is scheduled to come into force on August 1, 2026. The most popular way to obtain a temporary residence permit (by registering as a sole proprietor) will become more difficult. Currently, it’s enough to open a business and keep it active for a few months. Then, you can apply for a five-year permanent residence permit. This scheme will disappear starting in August next year.
The new procedure is a three-year temporary residence permit, followed by permanent residence. The temporary residence permit is issued for one year and must be renewed twice. Financial requirements have been introduced for entrepreneurs: a turnover of approximately 1 million drams (approximately $2,600) over the past 60 days, or an equivalent amount in an account.
Key changes of the reform:
- Abolition of the ten-year residence permit requirement for ethnic Armenians.
- Transition of all applications to an electronic platform.
- Introduction of biometric residence cards with mandatory fingerprinting.
Montenegro Aligns with the EU
Prime Minister Milojko Spajic told Euronews that the country will tighten visa regulations for Russians in line with EU policy. Montenegro hopes to join the EU by 2028 and is already acting as a member state.
Currently, Russians enter the country visa-free for 30 days with a valid passport. The authorities intend to change this “in the near future” – no specific dates have been set yet.
Context is important. The European Union banned multiple-entry Schengen visas for Russian citizens effective November 7, 2025. Only single-entry visas are now available, with the exception of humanitarian cases. This measure is related to security issues: sabotage, disinformation, and drone incidents.
наша команда раздвигает их для вас
все типы виз
для вас и вашей семьи
через ПМЖ, по корням, за инвестиции
Portugal Froze New Citizenship Law
On November 13, 2025, something happened that no one expected. The Portuguese Socialist Party sent the citizenship law approved by parliament to the Constitutional Court. Directly, bypassing the president. This is a nearly impossible feat – in the court’s 42 years of operation, this mechanism has only been used twice: in 2005 and 2006. Now the law is in limbo. No changes will be made until the judges decide.
What’s wrong with the new law
On October 28, the Portuguese Parliament voted to tighten naturalization rules. The main changes affect the timeframe. Instead of five years of legal residence, seven years are now required for citizens of the EU and Portuguese-speaking countries (CPLP), and ten years for everyone else. But that’s not the only problem.
The law changes the starting point. Previously, the period of residence was calculated from the date of application for a residence permit. Now, it’s calculated from the date of receipt of the residence card. In practice, this adds another 6-18 months to the wait, given AIMA’s current processing times. This is especially painful for Golden Visa holders – cards are issued 12-18 months after approval.
Figures that explain the situation
The pressure on the naturalization system is colossal. In the first four months of 2024, Portugal received over 63,000 citizenship applications. This is a sharp increase compared to the previous year. As of May 2024, there were over 500,000 applications on the waiting list. Backlogs reach two years.
In 2023, out of approximately 200,000 applications, only 116,000 were approved. The system is overwhelmed. AIMA (the Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum) currently processes around 7,000 applications per day and plans to open 10 new centers by the end of the year. But this isn’t enough.
What’s next
The Constitutional Court must issue a decision within 25 days of the official submission of the request. The Socialists planned to formalize the application during the week of November 18th. Until the court makes a decision, the old law—five years for naturalization—will remain in effect.
The PS (Socialist Party) has 58 seats in parliament—more than the 46 required to initiate a review. The Socialists’ position is supported by the country’s leading legal experts, including the Order of Advocates and the Superior Council of the Magistracy.
Possible scenarios:
- The court finds the law unconstitutional – Parliament rewrites or rejects it.
- The court upholds the law – the president can sign it and enact it.
- The court demands changes – the law is returned for revision.
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ответим на ваши вопросы
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