Russia introduces e-visas to make your visit to St. Petersburg easier

Your travel to St. Petersburg and Leningrad region in Russia is all set to become simpler; now, you can get an e-visa just by registering yourself online. Quite interestingly, the visa will not cost you a single penny.

This move comes after Russian President Vladmir Putin signed a decree that extended the electronic visa regime to the aforementioned regions. As per the decree—to establish that from October 1, 2019, entrance to the Russian Federation and departure from the Russian Federation for foreign citizens via the checkpoints of the state border of the Russian Federation located in the territories of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region can be made on the basis of regular single-entry business, tourist and humanitarian visas in the form of electronic documents. This means that foreigners, who are arriving at the Russian Federation via checkpoints, will be allowed to move freely within the said territories, i.e., St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region.
The 30-day e-visa program will come into effect in the said regions from October 1, 2019. However, the catch here is that the e-visa will allow you to stay in Russia for a period of up to eight days.
Reportedly, the Russian President has asked the government to clear all the details and particulars required for the issuance of e-visas to foreign citizens as well as for their entry into the Russian Federation via checkpoints with e-visas.
As of now, the government will go ahead to decide on and approve the list of those foreign countries, whose nationals will be able to enjoy the benefits of e-visas by October 1, 2019.