Putin signs law simplifying regulations for foreigners entering via free port of Vladivostok
MOSCOW. March 7 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law allowing visas to be issued electronically to foreign citizens who enter Russia via the free port of Vladivostok.
The document was published on the official legal information portal on Tuesday.
Earlier the Russian government asked the Duma to speed up the passage of the relevant bill. The Federation Council approved the simplified regulation on March 1.
Under the new law, foreigners will be allowed to visit any of the five Russian Far Eastern regions which have the free-port regime in place: the Primorsky and Khabarovsk territories, the Sakhalin region, Chukotka and Kamchatka.
To obtain a visa, foreigners will need to use the special website of the Russian Foreign Ministry and fill out an application. If the application is successful, the visa will be stamped right at the Russian border. The application processing time: four days.
Such a visa will be valid for 30 days from the issuance date and allow the holder to stay in Russia for up to eight days. No consular fees will be charged, i.e. the visa will be free.
The free port of Vladivostok is a port area that enjoys special customs, tax, investment and mixed-regulations regimes. On July 4 President Putin signed a law extending the free-port regime to the Khabarovsk territory (Vanino municipal district), Sakhalin region (Korsakov city district), Kamchatka territory (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky) and the Chukotka autonomous district (Pevek).
