Almost 1 mln foreign tourists travel to Russia on e-visas - deputy PM

MOSCOW. July 11 (Interfax) - Some 940,000 foreign tourists have travelled to Russia on e-visas since August 1, 2023, when such visas became available, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko said.

"Our country is increasingly popular with foreign tourists. More than 5 million foreign tourists visited our country last year, which is 30% more than a year before. We can see that foreign guests increasingly use facilitated travel mechanisms, apply for e-visas," Chernyshenko said in connection with the State Duma's adoption of a bill expanding the opportunities of a single e-visa for traveling to Russia.

"More than 230,000 foreign tourists used it to travel to our country in the first five months of 2025, while the total number has reached 940,000 since the launch of this mechanism. The new measures will make Russia even more accessible to international travelers and will strengthen the position of our country on the global tourist market," he said.

The bill increases the visa validity from 60 to 120 days since the issue date and the allowable period of stay of foreign citizens in Russia from 16 to 30 days.

These innovations are an important step to meet foreign travelers halfway, Chernyshenko said.

"E-visa is an important mechanism of facilitated travel. The next step, which is now being considered, is the possibility of its multiple use," Russian Economic Development Minister Mikhail Reshetnikov said.

The e-visa issuance platform was launched for citizens of 64 states on August 1, 2023. It allows receiving an e-visa within four days.