Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree extending the electronic visa system to international airports in the Republic of Buryatia and the Zabaykalsky Krai. The system will become operational in these regions on June 1, 2019. Citizens of 18 countries will be able to obtain a visa to visit the Republic of Buryatia and the Zabaykalsky Krai. It is issued free of charge, with no consular fee, four days before the intended entry into the country, according to the press service of the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East.
"Two airports in Buryatia and Transbaikalia have become eligible to receive tourists with e-visas: Ulan-Ude Airport and Chita Airport. An e-visa is a simplified way to enter our country. After this mechanism was introduced at international airports in the Far East, the region experienced an increase in tourist traffic. Therefore, we expect Buryatia and Transbaikalia to also see an increase in foreign tourists, who will discover these two vibrant and amazing regions," said Alexander Kozlov, Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and Arctic.
"The region has initiated the expansion of the electronic visa system to river and road border crossings. The Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East has already prepared a bill to expand the mechanism. Experts estimate that it could be operational next year," he noted, according to the ministry.
Starting June 1, with the addition of two new international airports, e-visas will be available for travel to eight Far Eastern regions. Air checkpoints are open in Vladivostok (Knevichi), Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (Yelizovo), Blagoveshchensk (Ignatievo), Khabarovsk (Novy), Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (Khomutovo), and Anadyr (Ugolny). Sea checkpoints are also open in Sakhalin Oblast, Primorsky Krai, and Kamchatka Krai.
The electronic visa system has been in effect in the Russian Far East since August 2017. During this time, over 54,000 citizens from 15 countries have used it to visit these regions. The most active visitors are from China (almost 43,000 visits using the e-visa) and Japan (over 11,200). Since January 2019, over 9,300 foreigners have used the e-visa.
Source: trn-news.ru