Visa-free travel to Russia for Indians expected by spring 2025

Planning a trip to Russia? Well, it might be hassle free in the coming months. As per the latest news reports, Indian travellers will soon be able to enjoy visa-free travel to Russia, potentially as early as spring 2025. This development, confirmed by Evgeny Kozlov, Chairman of the Moscow City Tourism Committee, will likely boost the number of Indian travellers visiting Moscow. Referring to this, Kozlov stated that the objective of this endeavour, which is now being discussed, is to boost tourism in the Russian capital by relaxation of travel restrictions for Indian visitors. India has already emerged as a crucial market for Russia, with more than 28,500 Indian tourists visiting Moscow in the first half of 2024. This figure demonstrates an incredible 1.5-fold increase in comparison to the same period in 2023. In addition, India was among the top non-CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) countries in terms of tourists visiting Moscow, with over 60,000 visitors by the end of 2023—a significant 26% increase from 2022. Records add that some of the primary highlights of Russia that lure Indian tourists are leisure, cultural discovery, and business. Meanwhile, as per the records, India has emerged as a major market for business tourism in Moscow due to the rise in popularity of travel for work and commercial purposes. Reports add that India ranked third among non-CIS countries for business visitors in the first quarter of 2024, which indicates the close economic and commercial relations between Russia and India. Kozlov noted that Moscow officials view India as an important market due to the two nations' longstanding diplomatic and cultural ties.