TEHRAN –Russian Ambassador to Iran Levan Dzhagaryan has said Iran his country will be offering electronic visas to travelers from Iran as of February 2021.  

He made the remarks in a meeting in Tehran with Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts Minister Ali-Asghar Mounesan, IRNA reported on Thursday.

“We welcome the proposal of the minister of cultural heritage, tourism and handicrafts for the development of tourism between the two countries,” the envoy said.

Iranians are well acquainted with Russia. In 2018, the (FIFA) World Cup was held in this country, with a large number of tourists and Iranian football fans in attendance…. Many of whom also visited different cities in Russia, Dzhagaryan noted.

For his part, Mounesan said that the Iranian people are interested in Russia and traveling there, so a large number of Iranian tourists who travel to Europe can also travel to Russia. “We are interested in increasing the number of Iranian tourists to Russia,” Mounesan said.

The single-entry visa valid for 60 days from the date of issuance will allow visitors to enter the country through 29 border crossings and stay in Russia for up to 16 days. Visitors will have the opportunity to apply for a visa on a special website or via a mobile application.

“We hope this work will be finished soon and the agreement will come into force,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in October.

“The decision for implementing the agreement would depend on the epidemic situation in Russia and Iran and on coronavirus lockdown measures in the two countries.”

The agreement on visa-free group tourist trips was signed on March 28, 2017, during Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s visit to Moscow.

AFM/MG