VLADIVOSTOK, September 12. /TASS/. President Vladimir Putin has announced plans to expand the list of countries whose citizens will use electronic visas (e-visas) to enter Russia.

"Our decisions on e-visas for entering (Russia’s) Far East - now they are valid for residents of 19 countries who can get all paperwork done remotely and under a simplified procedure - these decisions meet the spirit of development and openness," the head of state said at a plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum EEF.

"We will work on this further, so that the number of states whose citizens can be granted e-visas can grow, in particular among the APEC countries," he added.

Russia introduced electronic visas in 2017. One can apply for an e-visa on a special website. E-visa is issued free of charge and valid for 30 calendar days. It allows the holder to stay not more than 8 days within the territory of the constituent entity of the Russian Federation which they entered. In several months of 2017 alone, 5,500 foreigners entered the territory of Russia’s Far East using e-visas. Earlier, Putin instructed the authorities to adopt the law making e-visa valid for all international airports in the Far East.