New Russia - USA Visa rules on the way

[Admiral_Kolchak]

Russia will finalize the details of a visa agreement with the United States by the end of November, 2011 Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov says.

The agreement will shorten the time it takes to process visa applications and extend the visa validity period and is expected to extend the period of visitation for tourists and business people.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin proposed scrapping visa restrictions between the two countries altogether during a meeting with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden in Moscow in March, 2011.

In May, 2011, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and U.S. President Barack Obama announced plans to liberalize visa restrictions for businessmen and tourists traveling between the two countries. Under the new agreement, eligible business travelers and tourists would be issued visas valid for 36 months at a unified and reciprocal fee.

Details to come soon!

[Sennaya]

New Visa rules still not in place

Recent changes in membership in the Duma has slowed the consideration of the new proposed visa rules between Russia and the USA.

“We now have another consideration in the parliament, as we have many more Communists and other leftist politicians who are not very close friends of the United States,” said Andrei Klimov, deputy chairman of the Duma’s foreign relations committee.

The agreement  would grant both Russians and Americans standard three-year, multiple-entry visas with far less paperwork than is currently required for tourist and business visas.

http://www.sptimes.ru/index.php?action_id=2&story_id=34999