Russia to issue e-visas to Indian citizens from August 1

Indian passport holders looking to travel to Russia can avail of an electronic visa starting from August 1.

In February, the Russian Prime Minister signed a decree approving facilitated visa regime for citizens of 19 countries, including India. In September, the country announced it was working on plans to extend, first the e-visa facility to India, before letting Indians travel visa-free.

The e-visa will allow Indian passport holders entry the Russian Federation on a guest, business, or tourist visit as well as to participate in events.

E-visa to enter Russia: Key details

Also, an application for a single electronic visa must be submitted not later than four working days before the expected date of entry into the Russian Federation. The consular fee would be approximately $40.

The visa will be issued with a 60-day validity and travellers can stay up to 16 days at a time in the country, according to reports.

Citizens of specified countries can get a tourist visa for up to six months if they have a hotel reservation, the decree, published on the government portal, stated.

The countries include India, Bahrain, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, Myanmar, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Turkey and the Philippines.