In a move aimed at strengthening bilateral ties and boosting tourism, Russia is launching electronic visa (e-visa) for Indian passport holders from August 1. The e-visa will reportedly be processed in a maximum of four days and a $40 consular fee will be charged for the facility.

Citizens of around 52 different countries will be able avail the benefits of electronic visa, The Times of India reported quoting the Russian Foreign Ministry. The e-visa will facilitate entry into the Russian Federation for a variety of purposes, such as business trips, guest visits, tourism, among others.

As per reports, the new e-visa will be valid for 60 days on a single entry, allowing travellers to stay up to 16 days at a time in Russia. Moreover, citizens of some countries can also get a six-month-long tourist visa approved on the basis of their hotel reservation.

With e-visa, Indian travellers will be able to obtain their Russian visa in a quicker and more efficient manner.

This comes as the ongoing war in Ukraine has had a significant impact on Russia’s tourism industry. The number of foreigners visiting Russia as part of an organised tour plummeted by more than 90 per cent during 2022 as the country’s international isolation over its invasion of Ukraine kept most travelers away, The Moscow Times reported, citing Kommersant business daily.

Official figures place the year-on-year drop in Russia’s inbound tourist numbers as a whole at just 40 per cent, from almost 290,000 in 2021 to 190,000 in 2022, Kommersant said.

In 2019, some 5.1 million tourists visited Russia, of which as many as 4,00,000 came as part of an organised tour.