On July 26, 2018, the media reported on the drafting of a bill in the State Duma providing for mandatory accreditation of visa operators working in the territory of Russia and introducing other difficult criteria that threatens to close visa centers in Russia if this bill is adopted.
The draft Federal law "On amendments to the Federal law "On the procedure for departure from Russia and entry into Russia" provides among other things the following criteria for accreditation:
- availability of branches (representative offices) for the operator in at least 20 subjects of Russian Federation;
- experience in provision of services related to collection and processing of documents required for obtaining a visa, on behalf of diplomatic missions and consular missions for at least 3 years;
- maximum share of foreign participation in authorized capital - 20%;
- lack of affiliation with legal entities or individuals engaged in tourism;
- availability of technical means for processing of confidential information (including biometric personal data) certified in accordance with legislation of Russia.
In Russia there are six companies operating visa service centers under the brands VFS Global, GVCW - RCS of Greece, VMS - Italy, BLS - Spain, India, TLS - Great Britain, Switzerland, Belgium, Pony Express.
If the draft law is adopted in the current form, it is most likely that visa centers will be closed.
For additional information, please contact consultants of Confidence Group.
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