Starting in the spring of 2025, Indian citizens may be eligible to enter Moscow without visas.
The decision, confirmed by the Chairman of the Moscow City Tourism Committee, Evgeny Kozlov, aims to increase the number of Indian travelers to Russia, VisaGuide.World reports.
It is predicted that thanks to the agreement, which is now under development, the number of travelers from India coming to the Russian capital will significantly increase.
Kozlov told the Economic Times that the Russian capital continues to attract a large number of travelers from India.
According to him, in the first half of this year, a total of 28,500 Indian travelers visited Moscow, 1.5 times more compared to the same period last year’s figures.
In 2023, India entered the list of leaders in terms of the number of travelers coming to Moscow among non-CIS countries. Over the entire year, more than 60,000 travelers from India visited the Russian capital, which also exceeded the figures for 2022 by 26 percent.
Kozlov said the main reasons Indians traveled to Moscow were business and work-related purposes.
He said in the first quarter of this year, India accounted as the third country among travelers from non-Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) for the number of business tourists.
Authorities in Russia consider India to be one of the priority markets, considering its long-lasting and time-tested relationship with Russia.
Indians Eligible to Apply for an E-Visa
Nationals of India have been eligible to apply for an e-visa since August 1, 2023, which can be issued for a period of four days.
In addition, Kozlov said that since last year, India has been on the list with the highest number of e-visas issued.
Last year, India entered the top five countries in terms of the volume of e-visas issued. In total, Indians were issued 9,500 thousand electronic visas, which is 6 percent of the total number of electronic visas received by foreigners to visit Russia.
Russia Intensifies Efforts to Abolish Visa Requirements for Several Countries
Earlier this month, authorities in Russia said the country is attempting to reach a visa-free travel agreement for some African and Middle Eastern countries.
According to Russian authorities, the negotiations with nine countries from Africa and the Middle East would contribute to further economic growth.