Russian Foreign Ministry Considering Issuing Multi-Entry Electronic Visas In Future

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 29th June, 2020) The Russian Foreign Ministry is not ruling out the possibility that the country's new electronic visa system, due to enter force from January 1, will also allow for the issuance of multi-entry visas, State Secretary - Deputy Foreign Minister Yevgeny Ivanov said in an interview with the Kommersant newspaper on Sunday.

"We do not rule out the possibility that in the future, multi-entry electronic visas will be possible," Ivanov said.

The state secretary added that such a decision will be made upon the careful consideration of a range of factors.

Ivanov also said that the Russian Foreign Ministry is considering offering visas of the same length and type free of charge to those who canceled their trips to the country due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.

This would affect foreign citizens whose visas became valid after mid-March, and lasts for a period of six months after the restrictions on entering Russia are lifted.

Additionally, lawmakers are preparing a bill that would simplify the visa process for foreign citizens who have close relatives in Russia, Ivanov remarked, adding that the Russian Foreign Ministry also has no objections to the creation of multi-year tourist visas for visitors to Russia.

The Russian State Duma has approved a bill prepared by the Russian Foreign Ministry to allow citizens of 53 countries to apply for electronic visas for short-term trips to Russia of up to 16 days from January 1, 2021.