In Russia, e-visas & payment cards for foreigners

Tuesday, March 14, 2023

In 2023 to enter Russia, international tourists might have an opportunity to apply for an electronic visa and receive a payment card, the head of the Russian Department of Tourism, Tatyana Sharshavitskaya, said this.

At the Fifth Congress of Travel Agencies, she made the notice.

To resolve payment related issues associated with the departure of Visa and MasterCard from the Russia, the “Tourist Card”, a special payment tool will be introduced; a Russian news agency quoted Tatyana saying.

A law was adopted in July 2020 which allowed citizens of over 50 countries, comprising EU states, to apply for an electronic visa to go to Russia.

The electronic visa is valid for 60 days, as per the document. It allows internationals to enter for business as well as leisure purposes.

The Russian government, in January 2021, had waited for the implementation of e-visas due to COVID-19.

Around five million foreign tourists, as per the Russian news agency, visited Russia in 2019. Later on, the number declined sharply due the pandemic.

A slightly more than 200,000 foreign tourists visited the country in 2022.

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