The moratorium on the issuance of electronic visas to foreign citizens has been lifted

The Government of Russia has canceled the previously introduced ban on the issuance of electronic visas to foreigners. Such a clause was contained in Order No. 635-r, which became invalid by the adoption of Order of the Government of Russia No. 1267 dated July 14, 2022 "On the invalidation of certain acts and certain provisions of acts of the Government of Russia", which removes entry and exit restrictions imposed in connection with the coronavirus pandemic from Russia, as we wrote earlier in our news.

However, the lifting of the restrictions does not mean that the system will be launched – the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yet made any statements, and the official website of the Ministrystates that "Currently, unified electronic visas are not issued."

According to the project, a unified electronic visa will allow entering Russia on a guest, business, tourist visit, as well as to participate in events. Such a visa, according to the list specified in the Order of the Government of Russia No. 2571-r dated October 6, 2020, can be obtained by citizens of 52 countries, including EU member states, China, Japan, India and Turkey (for more details, see our news).

The term of its registration is 4 working days, it will be valid for 60 days with the possibility of staying in Russia for 16 days. Invitations, reservations or other documents will not be required. Such a visa can be issued on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia or in a mobile application. It is enough to fill out the application form, upload a copy of the international passport and a personal photo, pay the consular fee, which is $40, and wait for the notification of the visa issue.

The list of checkpoints at which it will be possible to enter with a single electronic visa is listed in the Order of the Government of Russia No. 2741-r dated October 23, 2020 “On the list of checkpoints across the state border of Russia through which foreign citizens enter Russia and exit from Russia on the basis of a unified electronic visa”. We monitor its changes and will immediately inform you about them.

It was planned to launch the issuance of electronic visas on January 1, 2021, but was postponed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 epidemic. Maria Zakharova, after another extension of the suspension, said that the launch of the system is possible only after the complete removal of coronavirus restrictions. With the publication of Order of the Government of Russia No. 1267 dated July 14, 2022, this is exactly what happened. 

For more information, please contact the consultants of the Confidence Group company.

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