Indian tourists may soon have the opportunity to travel to Russia without requiring a visa. This new arrangement is expected to take effect as early as spring 2025, making it easier for Indians to visit Russia for tourism.
Russia and India discussed a bilateral deal to relax visa requirements in June, with a particular emphasis on allowing group tourist exchanges without a visa.
Current Status of Visa Approval
Nowadays, getting a Russian visa requires careful preparation and a lengthy procedure. Based on their intended purpose, Indian visitors to Russia usually apply for a variety of visas, including tourist, business, humanitarian, private, work, and student visas.
Surge in Indian Tourist Numbers in Russia
Moscow City Tourism Committee Chairman Evgeny Kozlov reports that in the first half of 2024, 28,500 Indian tourists traveled to Moscow, a 1.5-fold increase over the same period the year before. The majority of these tourists went for work-related or business-related purposes.
In 2023, more than 60,000 Indians traveled to Moscow, a 26% rise over 2022.
With 1,700 e-visas granted in Q1 alone, India was the third-most popular non-CIS country for business travel in early 2024.
Visa-free Entry in Russia
Russia currently permits visa-free entry for Iranian and Chinese nationals via a tourist exchange program that began on August 1, 2023. Given the initiative's success, Russia intends to repeat it with India.
India’s Rank in Henley Passport Index
Indian passport holders are granted visa-free travel to 62 countries worldwide, including well-known locations like Thailand, Indonesia, and the Maldives.
According to the 2024 Henley Passport Index, India is currently ranked at 82nd position.
The ranking is based on data from the International Air Transport Authority (IATA) and measures how many countries can be visited without a visa.
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