Citizens of nine states get first e-visas for travel to Russia’s Far East

MOSCOW, August 9. /TASS/. More than 90 foreign tourists from nine states were granted e-visas permitting to travel to Russia’s Far East on the first day of the project’s website testing, Minister for the Development of the Russian Far East Alexander Galushka said on Wednesday. "In the first 24 hours, 90 foreign citizens received an e-visa via the system’s online service," he said. The project was most popular among citizens of China (42 e-visas issued) and Japan (38 e-visas issued). Applications were also received from citizens of Algeria, India, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and Tunisia. The test run of the e-visa system for foreigners began in the port and airport of the Russian Far Eastern city of Vladivostok on August 1. On August 8, the Russian Foreign Ministry has launched a website, allowing foreigners from 18 states to apply for an e-visa online. So far, electronic visas are issued only in the Primorye Territory. Other Far Eastern regions - the Kamchatka and Khabarovsk territories, the Sakhalin Region and the Chukotka Autonomous Area - are expected to join the program soon. The electronic visas are valid for 30 days and permit to stay in Russia for up to eight days. Their holders are not allowed to cross into other regions. Read more