Free e-visa facility for the Indian tourists who can now visit St. petersburg

The Indian tourists can avail of the free e-visa to visit St. Petersburg in Russia. According to the statement, the Indian tourists have the eligibility to avail a single-entry tourist, humanitarian and business visa from their homes or offices in India. The service has been started on 1st October 2019.

The Indian tourists can avail of the free e-visa to visit St. Petersburg in Russia. According to the statement, the Indian tourists have the eligibility to avail a single-entry tourist, humanitarian and business visa from their homes or offices in India. The service has been started on 1st October 2019.

It takes approximately four days for the processing of the online application for a free e-visa. The application should be made at least 20 days prior to the date of travel. The validity of the e-visa will be of a period of 30 days however the e-visa will allow the tourists to stay for a duration of 8 days.

The free e-visa has been made available to the tourists as the capital city of Russia, St. Petersburg is expecting to see more tourists from India. St. Petersburg is also known as the Cultural Capital of Russia. 

The free e-visa will only be valid for the capital city of St. Petersburg. The visa rules have been relaxed for the tourists of 53 countries including India. 

Currently, there is a link between India and Russia due to the Aeroflot's double daily operation existing between Moscow and Delhi. This reduces the scope of the free of cost e-visa because Moscow is still not on the list of the entry points of the free e-visa. This is why the Indian tourists visit Russia via St. Petersburg.

It has also been rumored that the Russian Government may have plans to welcome the tourists to most parts of Russia through the e-visa. Presently, the CIS and Middle Eastern airlines such as Qatar, Emirates, Air Astana, and many others have been linked directly from the various Indian cities such as Delhi and Mumbai to St. Petersburg in Russia.

Mr. Prashant Chaudhary, the official partner of St. Petersburg in India and the Managing Director of Salvia Promoters, said in a statement, “Making available the E-visa for the Indian travelers who are eager to explore the cultural capital of Russia, St. Petersburg and free of cost is the initiative of the region’s commitment for improving the bilateral tourism relations. The initiative has been targeted at those markets such as India that have huge untapped potential for St. Petersburg and the surrounding places.

St. Petersburg is one of the finest tourist destinations in Europe.”

For the application, you require a digital photograph and passport validity for which should be at least six months from the date of application for the e-visa. You need not stand in the long queues as the only requirement is to fill out an electronic form.

Apart from the Leningrad region and St. Petersburg, the e-visa is also available for the Far Eastern Federal District (including Primorsky Krai, Sakhalin Oblast, Kamchatka Krai, Amur Region, Khabarovsk Krai, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Republic of Buryatia, Zabaykalsky Krai) and the Kaliningrad Region. The State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Mariinsky Theatre, the ornate Saint Isaac’s Cathedral and the volcanoes of Kamchatka are also included.

St. Petersburg is popularly known for its architecture. It is a port city and when you visit there, you should definitely take the river cruise. Some of the popular sites to visit include The Grand Palace, The Winter Palace, Kazan Cathedral, Savior on the Spilled Blood, Peterhof, St. Isaac's Cathedral, Bronze Horseman and many other places.

The terms and conditions for the e-visa include that the online application should be submitted to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs no longer than 4 days before the commencement of your trip. 

Also read:- Everything you need to know about the Silk Road

image source-Outlook India