The Ministry of Foreign Affairs proposes to simplify obtaining Russian visas for tourists

The Russian Foreign Ministry proposed to allow foreign citizens to issue Russian visas for hotel reservations, without requiring confirmation of the tour operator.

The relevant bill is posted on the federal portal of draft normative legal acts.

The Foreign Ministry believes that the requirement to confirm the booked accommodation from the tour operator will be an obstacle for travelers who want to come to Russia on their own.

The Ministry intends to increase the validity of a tourist visa from one month to six months.

The changes to the law will come into force in April 2020.

At the end of February 2019, President Vladimir Putin announced the need to expand the experience of short-term visa-free entry to Russia for foreign tourists and the use of electronic visas.

It is assumed that a single electronic visa for foreigners will be introduced in Russia from 2021. It will be a single entry, and the validity period will be no more than 16 days, it can be obtained regardless of the purpose of the trip. The Russian government should approve a list of countries whose citizens will be able to use the service.