Indian tourists could soon be able to visit Russia without the need for a visa. Since August 2023, Indian travelers have already been eligible for e-visas to Russia, which are processed within four days. This new arrangement is expected to further strengthen the tourism relations between the two nations.
Currently, Indian passport holders enjoy visa-free access to 62 countries, and Russia could soon be added to that list, potentially 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, mentioned that “India is at the final stage of internal state coordination.”
Discussions between Moscow and New Delhi began in June this year to establish a bilateral agreement aimed at easing visa restrictions, with the goal of launching visa-free group tourist exchanges. “Russia and India are set to strengthen their tourism ties with the introduction of visa-free group tourist exchanges, following the first round of consultations between the two nations in June, aiming to finalize the agreement by the end of the year,” the minister was quoted by RT News as saying.
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In 2023, Russia issued 9,500 e-visas to Indian visitors, making up 6 percent of the total e-visas granted by Moscow. This places India among the top five countries with easy travel access to Russia.
In recent years, the number of Indian visitors to Moscow has been steadily rising. According to Evgeny Kozlov, Chairman of the Moscow City Tourism Committee, 28,500 Indian tourists visited Moscow in the first half of 2024, marking a 1.5-fold increase compared to the same period in 2023.
“In 2023, India ranked high in terms of visitors to Moscow from non-CIS countries, with over 60,000 travelers, a 26 percent increase compared to 2022,” Kozlov told Business Standards. According to reports, most Indian tourists visit Russia for business or work. “India ranked third among non-CIS countries for business tourism in the first quarter of 2024. Moscow considers India one of its priority markets due to the strong, long-standing ties between the two nations,” Kozlov added.