India And Russia Are on Track to Finalize a Bilateral Visa-Free Travel Regime

According to a Russian minister, In order to strengthen tourism ties between India and Russia, the bilateral agreement to facilitate visa-free group tourist exchanges between Russia and India will start in June.

During the “Russia-Islamic World: KazanForum 2024” international economic forum in Kazan the minister announced about this, and said that a draft on the agreement would be shared in June and the agreement would be sealed by the end of the year.

What is Visa-free group tourist exchange agreement?

Visa-free group tourist exchange is a bilateral agreement allowing organized groups of tourists from participating countries to travel without needing individual visas. This arrangement simplifies travel logistics and promotes tourism between the countries. For example, Russia and India are expected to implement such a program by the end of the year, facilitating easier travel for group tours between the two nations. This initiative aims to boost tourism and strengthen bilateral relations by easing the travel process for groups of tourists.

Examples of the agreement

Russia and China initiated their visa-free group tourist exchange on August 1 last year.

Similarly, a visa-free group tourist exchange between Russia and Iran also commenced on the same date, ushering a new era of tourism cooperation

and now the Russian minister says, it plans to do the same with India, as already established with China and Iran.

“India is at the final stage of internal state coordination,” Nikita Kondratyev, director of the Russian Economic Development Ministry’s Department of Multilateral Economic Cooperation and Special Projects, was quoted by RT News as saying.