Russia will begin re-issuing visas to all categories of Indian citizens

Russia on Saturday announced 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. 

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 move has come in wake of the decision made by the Russian Covid-19 Emergency Response Centre on January 16.

“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 people applying for visas have to provide the necessary documents listed on the website of the Russian embassy. they also need to produce a valid medical document stating a negative Covid-19 PCR test result.

Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Thursday (January 28) extended the suspension on scheduled commercial international flights to and from the country till February 28, 2021. The restrictions, however, shall not apply to international air-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by DGCA. Earlier, after the discovery of the UK strain of the coronavirus, flights were suspended till January 31, 2021.