First the Soviet Union, now the Russian Federation, it is still difficult for travellers to get to RussiaWhether for business or pleasure. Most travellers to Russia often complain of a complicated process by providing a large number of documents, official invitations or proof of hotel accommodation.
Admittedly, procedures have been simplified somewhat with the processing of visas by a specialist agency in France, VFS.global. But only the visa forms are currently available online, and you still need to go to this agency to submit all the documents and your passport.
The processing time varies from three to ten working days, depending on the urgency of the application. The most complex aspect is the lack of visa processing centres. VFS.global has only two branches in France, one in Paris and the other to Strasbourg.
However, this bureaucratic process could soon be a thing of the past. In July, Russia announced its intention to introduce a electronic visa system which will finally simplify formalities. The decree launching this plan to simplify visas was signed by Vladimir Putin. If there are no obstacles in the way of the electronic visa, it will be available from 1st January 2021.
It will be a simple online procedure for obtaining short-term single-entry visas - probably for one year or more. maximum duration of 16 days. Remarkably, the requirement to present an invitation will be abolished with this new online procedure. The visa will cost around forty euros - compared with €35 to €70 today, depending on the urgency. In addition, VFS.global will charge a service fee of €26. This will also result in substantial savings.
In the first stage, only citizens arriving at the main international airports or ports will be able to apply for this e-visa. This will include the three airports of Moscow and those of St Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan and Vladivostok. The port of St Petersburg will also be involved. Eventually, all border posts in the Federation will be equipped to process electronic visas. A full-scale operation has already begun in July, but only concerns travellers going to the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, between Latvia and Lithuania.
The e-visa system will apply to European Union countries and the countries integrated intoSchengen area (Iceland, Norway and Switzerland) - as well as China, South Korea, Japan and New Zealand. The big loser in this breakthrough is the United Kingdom, which left the European Union at the time. Like Americans and Canadians, British citizens will still have to travel to Russia to obtain the precious visa needed to enter the Russian Federation.
And Singapore launched the electronic landing card...European Union citizens hardly need a visa in Singapore, as they are issued one automatically on entering the country. What is new, however, is the possibility of fill in your landing card online The Arrival/Departure Card is required to obtain a visa. Since August, foreign visitors have been able to submit their personal information and travel details on the Singapore Immigration Services or via a mobile application "SG Arrival Cardavailable on the App Store or Google Play. The request must be made 14 days before the date of arrival and this service is currently only available with a limited number of transport providers. These include several ferry companies from Indonesia as well as airlines. Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines and low-cost carrier AirAsia. This service should be extended to passengers on all airlines during the year. 2020 and at road entry points from Malaysia. |
