TEHRAN - After years of negotiations, an agreement allowing visa-free travel for Iranian tourist groups to Russia was finally implemented last September. However, recent reports indicate that Iranian nationals still face obstacles to enjoying this privilege.

Recently, some Russian tourist agencies working with Iran have revealed that the promised visa-free regime for Iranian tourist groups has not been fully realized and is fraught with difficulties. Despite the agreement, many Iranian tourists intending to visit Russia are still required to obtain [electronic] visas, even when traveling in groups.

In a conversation with the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA), a manager of a Russian agency operating in St. Petersburg expressed that while some approved agencies can facilitate visa-free travel for groups of five or more Iranians, the process is excessively complex and lengthy, prompting most agencies to opt for traditional visa applications instead.

The manager highlighted that Russian tourists face no such issues when traveling to Iran in groups. Iran is particularly appealing to Russians interested in history, but financial constraints and banking limitations have hindered travel.

The bilateral visa-free tourist exchanges were supposed to benefit Iranian or Russian groups of five to 50 travelers for up to 15 days at a time.

Similarly, an Iranian manager of another tourism agency based in Russia corroborated these statements to ISNA, stating that despite years of organizing tours from Iran to Russia, they prefer to work with Iranian tourists with visas due to the complexities of the visa-free process.

He added that the issuance of electronic visas by Russia is now much simpler and quicker, serving as an alternative to traditional visas, with processing times as short as four days.

Some stakeholders in Iranian and Russian tourism have attributed Russia's strict visa policies to concerns about illegal migration through the country. This sentiment was echoed when certain domestic airlines in Iran reportedly canceled group travel arrangements to Russia in compliance with regulations, citing adverse effects on tourism and the need for strict implementation of entry and exit regulations for Iranian and Russian passengers.

Those hurdles faced by Iranian tourist groups highlight the challenges still remaining in fully implementing the visa-free agreement between Iran and Russia, which should be addressed.

Last September, the head of Russia’s trade mission in Iran said the first visa-free flights of tourist groups had started between Iran and Russia. “The first visa-free flights of Iranian tourist groups between Russia and Iran have begun,” Rustam Zhiganshin said, as quoted by Sputnik.

Late in June, Tehran’s ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali announced that Iran is ready to waive visa requirements reciprocally with Russia, based on an agreement the two countries previously secured for certain tourist groups. The agreement was initially signed by former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in 2017.

According to the Russian Union of Travel Industry, the launch of visa-free travel for groups would attract even more Russians to the country.

Dmitry Arutyunov, general director of the Art Tour, believes that Iran is still an unknown destination for many potential travelers in Russia. “Our fellow citizens do not know anything about the country, but this is an interesting excursion destination for spring and autumn. In the absence of alpine ski resorts, Iranian could be a good alternative,” Arutyunov said.

AM