September 30, 2019

Drop by St. Petes on a New Free E-visa


Drop by St. Petes on a New Free E-visa
View of Nevsky after a rain. Gawnyuxa | Dreamstime.com

Just as the summer tourist season was drawing to a close this September, the Russian government made a surprise decision to introduce free electronic visas to foreign visitors entering St. Petersburg. 

Starting on Tuesday (October 1), citizens of 53 countries (full list here) can apply online for a free visa four days ahead of visiting St. Petersburg. Many EU countries are on the list, but not Britain, the United States, or Canada.

The visa does not require the usual invitations or hotel bookings, and can be simply printed at home. Tourists and business travelers alike can take advantage of the new offer.

This follows a similar decision in July for visiting Kaliningrad.

The snap-visa program began in the distant Far East, when electronic visas were introduced in 2017 for citizens of 18 countries, but the destination did not prove extremely popular: over the past two years, just 100,000 tourists entered the region on an electronic visa.

One caveat: visitors must enter the country via the airport or designated auto, pedestrian and port border points, the service does not yet function for rail travelers.

Electronic visas are valid for 30 days, and, once in Russia, visitors can stay for eight days. The program is reportedly to be expanded to Moscow and other parts of Russia by 2021, and Russia is reportedly in talks to add other countries to the list.

St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport is already looking into new air routes with European low-cost airlines like Wizz Air, Easyjet and Ryanair, which would likely pull hundreds of thousands weekend travelers to Russia's second biggest city.

The average foreign tourist spends R35,000 (over $500) in St. Petersburg during a short 1-3 day visit, Governor Alexander Beglov told President Putin in July, when he asked that the measure be expedited.

The point of the initiative is to make sure the tourist experience in Russia "is full of emotions and comfortable services, which will make tourists not only return in the future, but also help change stereotypes about Russia," said Deputy Economy Minister Sergei Galkin earlier this year.

Unfortunately, a tourism influx can also backfire. This week, the historic town of Tsarskoye Selo, south of St. Petersburg, was overrun by Chinese tourists to the point of collapse: Russian tourists could not access the sights and the Culture Ministry rang the alarm. The museum in Tsarskoye Selo promised to introduce online tickets to help avoid a repeat of the four-hour waits in line to see the palace.

 

 

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Driving Down Russia's Spine
June 01, 2016

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 

White Magic
June 01, 2021

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.

Faith & Humor
December 01, 2011

Faith & Humor

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.

Murder at the Dacha
July 01, 2013

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

The Samovar Murders
November 01, 2019

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.

Fish
February 01, 2010

Fish

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955