Moscow:
Indian tourists may soon be able to travel to Russia without a visa next year. Since August 2023, Indian travellers have already been eligible for e-visas to Russia, which are typically processed within four days. The new arrangement will further strengthen the tourism ties between the two countries.
Currently, Indian passport holders enjoy visa-free travel to 62 countries. Russia can be added to the list as early as spring 2025, according to a report by India Today.
In May, Nikita Kondratyev, director of the Russian Economic Development Ministry’s Department of Multilateral Economic Cooperation and Special Projects said, “India is at the final stage of internal state coordination.”
The consultations between Moscow and New Delhi started regarding a bilateral agreement in June this year to ease visa restrictions, aiming to launch visa-free group tourist exchanges.
“Russia and India are set to strengthen their tourism ties as they gear up for the launch of visa-free group tourist exchanges. The first round of consultations between the two nations is scheduled for June, with an aim to finalise a bilateral agreement by the end of the year,” the minister was quoted by RT News as saying.
Russia granted 9,500 e-visas to Indian visitors in 2023, which was a total of 6 per cent of the total e-visas issued by Moscow. This puts India among the top five countries which were granted easy travel access by Russia.
In recent years, Moscow has been witnessing an upward tick in visitors from India. According to Evgeny Kozlov, Chairman of the Moscow City Tourism Committee, 28,500 Indian travellers visited Moscow in the first half of 2024, marking a 1.5-fold increase compared to the same period last year.
“In 2023, India ranked high in terms of travellers coming to Moscow among non-CIS countries, with over 60,000 visitors, a 26 per cent rise compared to 2022,” said Kozlov, according to a report by Business Standards.
Per the report, most Indians go to Russia for business or work. “India ranked third among visitors from non-CIS countries for business tourists in the first quarter of this year. Moscow authorities consider India one of the priority markets due to the strong, time-tested ties between the two countries.” Kozlov added.
