Which countries’ residents have most received Russian visas
The Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia estimated the growth among foreign citizens who received Russian visas by 64% compared to 2022. The number of granted visas is estimated at 845.9 thousand.
The leaders in the list of those who received visas to Russia were citizens of China. In 2023 citizens of this country received a visa five times more than in the previous year. Other countries: Turkmenistan, Germany, Turkey and India, whose number of visas received increased by 30%.
There was a significant increase in interest in Russia among citizens of the Middle East and Africa – the number of visas for citizens of Kuwait increased 5 times (3.8 thousand), 2 times – for citizens of Senegal and Mali.
In 2023, about 220 thousand visas were issued to citizens of countries included in the list of “unfriendly” countries. EU citizens received 154.7 thousand visas, which is 1.3 per cent more than the previous year. At the same time, the number of visas for Estonia fell by 20%, and for Croatia – almost 8 times. The highest growth was demonstrated by Austria – by 1.5 times.
Foreigners visit Russia more often than before
The increase in the number of visas issued can be attributed to the following factors:
- “compensatory growth” after restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- improved transport accessibility – increase in the number of connecting and direct flights.
- Weak ruble exchange rate against the dollar and euro, which makes travelling to Russia more attractive for foreigners.
- Increased business activity of foreigners who come to open or develop their own business in Russia.