Citizens of Mexico and 18 other countries will be able to obtain tourist visas for up to 6 months in Russia simply by booking a hotel there, according to a decree signed today by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.
Besides Mexico, Bahrain, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Iran, Cambodia, China, North Korea, Kuwait, Laos, Malaysia, Burma, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Thailand, Turkey and the Philippines will benefit from this measure, according to the decree.
In August 2021, Russia passed a law that simplifies obtaining visas for foreign tourists and allows them to receive a visit for up to six months on the basis of a hotel reservation.
Subsequently, in December 2022, a law was approved which grants the government the right to approve the list of countries whose tourists are eligible for such a simplified visa.
Citizens of countries not included in this list do not have the possibility of accessing these visas.
Foreign tourism dropped significantly in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic and never recovered due to the start of the Russian military campaign in Ukraine in February 2022.