The law on electronic visa for foreigners was adopted by the State Duma on July 21. The bill was introduced by the Russian Government as instructed by the President on June 1 (RIA). Before becoming effective, the law must be approved by the Federation Council and signed by the President. We will monitor all changes as the new law progresses and will report them in this article. Let’s see how electronic visas will work if the law is passed as it is now.

01.08.2020: The law has been signed by the President.

13.01.2021: Ministry of international affairs temporarily suspended issuing electronic visas.

New law content

Foreign nationals will be able to enter the Russian Federation with an electronic visa from January 1, 2021. To obtain an e-visa, it will be necessary to complete an application form on the official website of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Overall, the procedure for obtaining an e-visa is expected to be the same as the current procedure for obtaining e-visas in St. Petersburg as outlined here. This new visa will be issued for tourist, business, personal and humanitarian purposes.

Timeline

  • 4 days – for examination of visa applications by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  • 60 days – during which it will be allowed to enter the Russian Federation
  • 16 days – maximum duration of stay in the Russian Federation

Who can apply for an electronic visa?

The list of countries as well as the checkpoints through which it will be possible to cross the border with an electronic visa will be approved by the government later. According to the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Evgeniy Ivanov, 113 countries will be included in the list. (Interfax)

Update as of October 07, 2020:

There are now 52 countries in the list of countries whose citizens can apply for an electronic visa to enter the Russian Federation. All countries whose citizens were allowed in 2017 to visit St. Petersburg and several other constituent entities of the Russian Federation as part of a pilot project have been included in the abovementioned list (October 04, 2019 What you need to know about electronic visa to St. Petersburg), except for Qatar with which visa arrangements have been in place since 2020.

It will be possible with an electronic visa to cross the Russian border through any checkpoint and travel throughout the Russian Federation. To obtain such visa, it will not be necessary to provide confirmation of the trip purpose (invitations, reservations, etc.). The consular fee will be $40, and visas for children under the age of 6 will be issued free of charge. (TASS)

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