Russia to resume issuing visas to all categories of Indian citizens

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New Delhi: Russia announced on Saturday (January 30) that it will resume issuing visas to all categories of Indian citizens for those travelling by air as well as the ones with residence permits.

“In this regard, issuing of visas of all categories (including student visa) to enter Russia via air checkpoints is resumed for the Indian citizens, as well as for persons who have a residence permit,” the Russian embassy in New Delhi said in a statement.

The embassy said that this move comes in the wake of the decision made by the Russian Covid-19 Emergency Response Centre on January 16. On January 25, the Russian government had ordered to restore “international air traffic on a reciprocal basis with a number of foreign states, including India”.

The flights between Moscow and New Delhi are likely to operate twice a week, the embassy added. However, the granting of e-visas is temporarily banned “until an appropriate directive of the Russian government”, the statement further said.

People applying for visas will have to provide the necessary documents listed on website of the Russian embassy, along with a valid medical document stating a negative Covid-19 PCR test result.

Meanwhile, the Indian government extended the ban on international commercial flights till February 28 on Thursday. It was supposed to end on January 31 earlier.