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Russia, US agree to reduce visa application fees to $160

The fee is relevant since March 4, the Russian Foreign Ministry said

© Alexandra Mudrats/TASS

MOSCOW, March 1. /TASS/. Moscow and Washington have agreed to reduce application fees for all types of visas starting on March 4, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday.

"An agreement has been reached with the US to restore the application fee of $160 for all types of visas issued in accordance with the 2011 bilateral agreement easing visa restrictions," the statement reads.

According to the ministry, this a good example of mutually beneficial cooperation, which will help boost business, humanitarian, cultural and tourism ties between the two countries’ people.

An additional fee of $143 for tourist and business visas for Russian citizens was introduced in January 2019."We consider it to be a positive step that will facilitate business and tourism ties between our countries," said spokesperson for the US embassy in Moscow Andrea Kalan.

The United States and Russia will now issue mostly three-year multiple-entry visas to each other’s citizens, said spokesperson for the US embassy in Moscow Andrea Kalan. "The parties have agreed to issue mostly three-year multiple-entry visas," she said, commenting on an agreement Washington and Moscow made to reduce application fees for all types of visas to $160 starting on March 4.

"People-to-people diplomacy increases understanding between our countries through the trips our citizens make and creates a wide range of possibilities for cooperation," she emphasized.

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