St. Pete authorities want to introduce electronic visas for specific categories of foreigners
ST. PETERSBURG. April 17 (Interfax) - The St. Petersburg authorities have suggested introducing electronic visas for specific categories of foreigners to increase tourist flow to the city.
"We have requested a debate on the possibility of issuing electronic visas to two categories of citizens: those who come to congresses and exhibits and people participating in or visiting sports events. These tourists pose the lowest migration risk. And it may increase the tourist flow to the city by 30%," Andrei Mushkarev, the head of the city committee on the development of tourism, told Interfax on Monday.
Relevant proposals were sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin in December 2016 and to Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko in 2017, he said.
Mushkarev said an electronic visa is not easier to get than a regular one.
"It's not visa facilitation. The same [visa] documents will be needed, the visa fee will be the same. It's about a modern way of providing information, which also promotes security because data is received faster," he said.
The city administration does not expect a fast decision on the issue of introduction of electronic visas, Mushkarev said.
"The issue requires detailed work and one should not expect a prompt response. For example, a decision on the issue of introducing a 72-hour visa-free stay for people arriving on ferries took several years," Mushkarev said.