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Indians might soon be able to travel visa-free to Russia with a new system likely to begin in the spring of 2025. Earlier in June, reports surfaced that Russia and India discussed bilateral agreement to ease visa restrictions for each other, in a bid to implement visa-free group tourist exchanges.
Since August 2023, Indians have been eligible for e-visas to travel to Russia, which takes about four days to get processed. India also made its place among the top five countries for the number of e-visas issued last year, with 9,500 e-visas being granted to Indian travelers, The Indian Express reported.
Indian nationals are at present required to have a visa issued by the Russian Embassy/Consulates in the nation to enter, stay and exit from the Russian Federation. The process to gain the document was an extensive one.
Mostly, Indian visitors travel to Russia for business or official purposes. In 2023, a record of more than 60,000 Indians travelled to Moscow, a 26 per cent increase from that of 2022.
Indian ranked third among the non-CIS countries for business tourism early this year, with around 1,700 e-visas being issued in the just first quarter of 2024, the report added.
Notably, Russia currently allows visa-free entry for travelers from China and Iran through its visa-free tourist exchange programme. This initiative has proven to be a success for Moscow, which hopes to replicate the same with India as well.
At present, India enjoys visa-free travel privilege to 62 countries. Ranking 82nd on the Henley Passport Index 2024, an Indian passport holder can travel without a visa to popular tourist destinations like Indonesia, Maldives and Thailand.
The Henley Passport Index is released on the basis of data from the International Air Transport Authority (IATA). The index assumes that passport holders meet all basic entry requirements, are adult citizens traveling alone, and seek entry for tourist or business purposes for short stays. However, it excludes complicated scenarios like diplomatic travel, emergency or temporary passports, and transit stays.(HT)
