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

Russian Rules

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
93 Untranslatable Russian Words

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  
Marooned in Moscow

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

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.
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

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.
Murder and the Muse

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.

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