Posible introducción de visas electrónicas en Sochi

According to the statement Oleg Safonov made during the second All-Russian travel agencies congress, Russiatourism made a proposal to introduce electronic visas for foreign tourists visiting Sochi.

“Now we work together and we ask to expand the possibility of using electronic visas which were introduced in the Far East in accordance with the instructions of the president of our country. In particular, we request to introduce the same system of electronic visas in Sochi”, – Oleg Safonov said.

The introduction of electronic visas aims to promote the Russian resort which has recently attracted the increasing interest of European tourists. In early April, the resort was visited by representatives of the international tour operator TUI in cooperation with which Russian tour operators are working now on organization of charter flights from Europe. According to Oleg Safonov, several hundred thousand tourists are expected to visit the region in this tourist season.

It should be recalled that on March 1, 2017, the Federation Council supported the introduction of a simplified procedure for entering the Far East for foreign tourists and investors. Currently, it is enough for foreign tourists to get an electronic visa to enter the territory of any of the five Far Eastern regions where the free port regime operates (Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories, Sakhalin Region, Chukotka and Kamchatka). In order to obtain a visa, it is necessary to submit an application on the website of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs which will be considered in four days. With a positive decision, a visa valid for 30 days and authorizing up to 8-day stay in Russia is issued directly on the Russian border.