Russia issued more than 821,000 electronic visas (e-Visa) to foreign travelers in 2025.
In an interview with RIA Novosti, Alexey Klimov, director of the Consular Department at Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said 821,262 electronic visas were issued last year. The figures confirm the growing role of the e-Visa in Russia’s entry procedures for eligible travelers.
According to open data published by the Russian Foreign Ministry’s consular portal, those e-Visas resulted in more than 730,000 entries into Russia in 2025. By comparison, Russia issued roughly 671,000 e-Visas in 2024 and 170,000 in 2023.
The number of electronic visas issued therefore rose by about 22% between 2024 and 2025. Compared with 2023, the first reference year included in the published data, the number of visas issued was nearly five times higher.
Chinese nationals accounted for nearly 40% of Russian e-Visas issued in 2025
China dominates the ranking of nationalities using Russia’s e-Visa system.
In 2025, Chinese nationals received more than 325,000 electronic visas for Russia, representing nearly 40% of the annual total. They were followed, at a considerable distance, by citizens of Saudi Arabia, then by travelers from Germany, Turkey and India.
Open data from the Russian Foreign Ministry provides a more detailed breakdown by nationality.
| Rank | Country | e-Visas issued in 2025 | Recorded entries in 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 325,619 | 299,397 |
| 2 | Saudi Arabia | 84,825 | 75,465 |
| 3 | Germany | 65,750 | 61,179 |
| 4 | Turkey | 60,104 | 52,022 |
| 5 | India | 55,480 | 36,786 |
| 6 | Estonia | 30,417 | 28,794 |
| 7 | Latvia | 22,882 | 21,527 |
| 8 | Kuwait | 19,683 | 17,558 |
| 9 | Iran | 13,173 | 10,968 |
| 10 | Italy | 11,942 | 10,732 |
Together, these 10 countries accounted for nearly 690,000 electronic visas issued in 2025, or about 84% of the annual total.
China’s lead is particularly striking: the number of e-Visas issued to Chinese citizens was nearly four times higher than the number issued to Saudi nationals, who ranked second.
Growth driven by several tourism and business markets
The ranking reflects the wide range of travelers using Russia’s e-Visa system.
The top five countries are also the program’s main source markets: China, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Turkey and India. These nationalities reflect travel flows linked to tourism, business, family visits and events held in Russia.
Several European countries also appear in the top 10, including Germany, Estonia, Latvia and Italy. France ranks lower, with 8,679 electronic visas issued in 2025 and 7,703 recorded entries.
Among major markets, India saw one of the strongest increases, rising from 32,145 e-Visas issued in 2024 to 55,480 in 2025, an increase of about 73%. Turkey also recorded strong growth, from 42,202 to 60,104 e-Visas over the same period.
Iran, by contrast, saw a decline in 2025, with 13,173 e-Visas issued, compared with 16,973 in 2024.
Russia has already issued more than 175,000 e-Visas from January to May 2026
Russian diplomatic data also covers the first months of 2026.
From January through May 2026, Russia issued more than 175,000 unified electronic visas, resulting in more than 145,000 recorded entries. During that period, Turkey ranked first with 28,827 e-Visas issued, followed by Germany with 26,752 and India with 19,063.
China, despite ranking first by a wide margin for all of 2025, recorded 11,171 electronic visas issued in the first five months of 2026, according to the official table. Saudi Arabia recorded 10,808 over the same period.
These figures should be interpreted with caution, however, as they cover only the first five months of the year and may be affected by travel seasonality, air connectivity, holiday calendars and events taking place in Russia.
Russia’s e-Visa remains limited to certain nationalities
Russia’s unified electronic visa is not available to all foreign travelers.
According to the official portal, citizens of the following 64 countries and territories are currently eligible to apply for an e-Visa to travel to Russia:
- Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Bhutan, Bulgaria, Cambodia, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Eswatini, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Myanmar, Netherlands, North Korea, North Macedonia, Norway, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Saint Lucia, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Vatican City, Vietnam and Zimbabwe.
The system can be used for tourism, private visits and business travel, as well as trips related to certain scientific, cultural, economic, sports and sociopolitical events.
Russia’s e-Visa is issued without the need to provide an invitation letter or hotel booking confirmation at the time of application. The application is completed online, with processing expected to take four calendar days.
Since August 23, 2025, the validity period of the unified electronic visa has been extended to 120 days from the date of issuance, with an authorized stay of up to 30 days from the date of entry into Russia.
The e-Visa does not replace all Russian visas, however. Travelers whose nationality is not eligible, or whose purpose of travel does not fall within the uses covered by the system, must still apply for a traditional visa through a Russian diplomatic mission or consulate.
