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Electronic tourist visas to be launched in Russia by mid-July – minister

The President of Russia previously instructed the Cabinet of Ministers, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Federal Security Service, to think about the renewal of the e-visa for residents of countries not included in the list of unfriendly

MOSCOW, June 11. /TASS/. A system of electronic travel visas for foreigners may be launched in Russia before July 15, Russian Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov said on Sunday.

"We are getting prepared to launch e-visas. The Russian foreign ministry promises to launch the system by July 15. There were quite a lot of technical issues with the interior and digital development ministries. But all the matters have ben settled, so, we are waiting for the beginning [of the system’s operation]," he said at a meeting with businessmen on the sidelines of a Russian tourist forum.

In 2020, Russia adopted a law on issuing e-visas to citizens of 52 countries online starting in 2021. However, the law did not go into effect due to the pandemic. Last fall, Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed the foreign and interior ministries, and the Federal Security Service to look at resuming issuing e-visas to nationals of those countries which are not on its list of unfriendly countries.

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