Russia Lifts Ban On e-Visa For Travellers From 52 Countries Including India

After more than two years, the Russian authorities finally lifted the ban on issuing e-visas to travellers from 52 countries including India. The decision follows the Cabinet of Ministers’ resolution, which was published on the state portal pravo.gov.ru on Friday, July 15 202.

Notably, the ban on issuing e-Visas was imposed in March 2020, at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. At the time, the Russian administration stated that this was an exceptional and temporary action.

However, It took the authorities more than two years, to terminate it.

Russia e-Visa

This e-Visa permits you to enter Russia just once, for a maximum of 16 days, for a tourist, business, humanitarian, or family visit. The average processing time for an e-Visa is four days. This process does not require an invitation or a voucher.

It is worth noting that the process for getting an e-visa to Russia is unchanged and remains as it was before the pandemic.

Citizens of 52 countries, including India, will be able to enter Russia at any specially equipped checkpoint, regardless of the Russian Federation’s subject, and travel across the country. The consular fee is $40 USD, while children under the age of six are free.

According to a clarification issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Russia the issuance of electronic visas to foreign tourists has not yet been resumed but it is expected to resume in the coming days.

Entry Requirements For Russia

Furthermore, foreign nationals no longer need to present extra grounds for entering the Russian Federation (study, work, treatment, etc.). At the same time, the rule applies while travelling by sea, air, or land. The only requirement is that travellers need to produce a negative RT-PCR test report done no later than 48 hours.