Visa-Free Travel To Russia Launches In 2025 For Indians

Russia and India are working closely to provide visa-free travel arrangements for tourists. The potential new agreement could take effect as soon as spring 2025, following bilateral talks in June 2024. Visa-free travel to Russia aims to make travel between the two countries more convenient, specifically for group tourist exchanges.

Indian travellers currently face complex visa requirements when planning trips to Russia. Depending on their travel purpose, tourists must navigate multiple visa categories including tourist, business, student, and humanitarian visas—–which demand a lot of documentation and careful preparation. However, the Russia India visa-free agreement could potentially ease the process.

India-Russia Travel: Gateway To Easier Border Crossings

According to Evgeny Kozlov from the Moscow City Tourism Committee, Indian visitors to Moscow have already increased by 1.5 times in the first half of 2024, with 28,500 travellers—–mostly for business and work purposes.

Upon successful visa-free programs established with China and Iran, Russia is now considering a similar arrangement for Indian passport holders. This potential move comes after the introduction of the Unified E-Visa (UEV) in August 2023, which currently allows Indians to enter Russia within four days of application.

Currently, Indian nationals enjoy visa-free access to 62 countries, and this Russia visa-free entry for Indians could further expand their international travel opportunities.