The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has published a release on a response to an official announcement signed by President Putin. According to the release passengers will be able to travel to St. Petersburg and Leningrad region on an electronic visa (e-visa) as of 1 October 2019.
The release states that the e-visa will be a single-entry visa, which can be applied for business, tourist or humanitarian (cultural, sports, science, art, research) purposes. An electronic application can be submitted 20 - 4 days before the trip and the e-visa will take effect as soon as it is issued by the consulate. The e-visa is valid for 30 days, during which the traveler may stay in Russia (St. Petersburg and Leningrad) for a maximum of 8 days. The passport must be valid for at least 6 months after applying for an e-visa.
The Russian authorities have not yet confirmed which countries will be covered by this regulation, but it is expected that it would apply at least to the entire Schengen area. Moreover, the border crossing check points have not yet been notified. Note, that e-visa is not valid for trips, for instance, to Moscow.
E-visa will be applied directly to the authority's system by using an electronic form and electronic photo. The passenger must have valid travel insurance, we recommend you to keep the copy of the certificate with you during the trip. Applying for an e-visa is free of charge, but due to an incorrect or incomplete form, the consulate may refuse to grant the e-visa. You can only apply for a new visa once your e-visa period has expired.
In case the e-visa will concern Schengen citizens, our service will handle the application for the e-visa on behalf of the client. This service is subject to a charge.
We will provide up-dated information as soon as possible.