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Russia and the United States will soon agree on three-year multiple entry visas, U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Beyrle said on Friday.

Russia and the United States will soon agree on three-year multiple entry visas

At their meeting on Thursday, 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.

“I think that in two months maximum we will sign an agreement to issue new multiple entry visas for three years,” Beyrle said in Russian during an interview with Ekho Moskvy radio station. “The presidents instructed to complete negotiations on the issue, that’s why I expect the agreement to be ready by summer, maximum by fall.”

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.

Source: RIAN

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Russian President Dmitry Medvedev promises that he’s going to continue pushing for the introduction of a visa-free regime with the European Union.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev

“What happened was evidently a big surprise for a whole number of countries, as regards the events in the Middle East and in North Africa. They resulted in a massive migration flow that the leading European countries have responded to. If I understand correctly, this hasn’t shaken their policy at the core. And despite the introduction of separate restrictive measures, countries aren’t planning to turf the Schengen agreement,” – Medvedev said at Wednesday’s press conference.

Medvedev says that Russia has other goals. “If we actively work with our European partners, if we in essence have a single economic space with them, it would be quite logical for us to head into a visa-free space too. I will push for this because I think that it is the cornerstone of the successful development of economic ties with the EU and other countries of Europe,” – he said.

Source: The Voice of Russia

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Russia’s dream of visa-free travel to the EU has gone on for so long that the negotiation process can often appear almost comatose.

But after a year of intense lobbying, President Dmitry Medvedev is claiming success following the creation of a list of joint steps to be taken by Russian and Euro diplomats.

That checklist, once completed, is expected to pave the way to a formal waiver of visas between Russia and all EU member states – ultimately including those such as the UK which have opted out of the Schengen agreement, Kommersant reported.

Groundbreaking

Vladimir Voronkov, head of the foreign ministry’s department of European Cooperation, warned that the list still needed fine-tuning to ensure it was acceptable to all sides.

But he told the business daily that it was a “groundbreaking document”.

“Together we will define the parameters on both sides,” he said. “Both Russia and the EU will act as completely equal partners in the development of these steps and a future agreement on a visa-free regime.

“This is a new practice in the EU, and it will help Russia develop joint steps towards visa-free travel with all EU countries.”

Previously when countries have sought to introduce visa relaxations with Brussels, Europe has adopted a guiding role.

But Moscow, uniquely, will not be receiving formal advice from Europe about how to meet the required standards to waive visa requirements.

Practical steps

The first signs of change will be seen this autumn in St. Petersburg when Russia begins issuing biometric passports matching the latest international standards. Visa-free travel will only be available to people with biometric passports.

But of greater relevance to expats in Russia will be the fourth and final block of amendments, which outlines plans to make it easier for everyone to get the documents needed to travel to and stay in Russia or Europe.

Stefano Manservizi, the European Commission’s director of Internal Affairs, hinted that this might see Moscow finally ease up on domestic registration procedures in the face of queries from Europe.

Other areas for cooperation are set to include ways of dealing with illegal migration and cross-border smuggling.

Restrictions

As well as limiting the deal to biometric passports only, the visa waiver will only apply to short visits: long-term working visas on both sides will remain in place, but visa-free travel for up to 180 days in total each year would be possible.

And initially the visa-free regime will only cover the Schengen zone, although this may be revised.

“The idea is to create a visa-free regime between Russia and EU countries outside the Schengen area,” Manservizi added. “But since the latter includes countries which are not members of the EU, those countries (Switzerland, Iceland, Norway – ed.) will have to conclude individual agreements with Russia.”

Timetable

The final text of the joint steps document is expected to be approved in St. Petersburg on May 19 at a meeting of the Permanent Council of the EU-Russia partnership.

On June 9-10 in Nizhny Novgorod it is hoped that both sides will formally adopt the text at a summit meeting.

Source: Moscow News

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Russian citizens could be allowed to enter the MSAR without a visa by the end of this year, with the same happening for Macau passport holders travelling to Russia.

Two weeks ago, an MSAR delegation visited Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Federal Migration Service for a second round of negotiations, during which a consensus on a mutual visa exemption agreement was reached.
Both parties have already drawn up the final text of the agreement, which should be signed this year.
In addition, Macau passport holders can now obtain tourism and business visas on arrival in Cambodia.

Source: Macau Daily Times

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Prime Minister Vladimir Putin proposed Thursday that his country and the United States abolish visas between them. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, who is visiting Moscow, responded that it was a good idea, according to Russia’s state-run news agency.

Russia Prime Minister Vladamir Putin

“If your reaction to my proposal is positive, then your opinion as one of the leaders of the current U.S. administration who is also influential in Congress would be very important to us,” Putin was quoted by RIA-Novosti as saying to Biden.

Most analysts have said that the implementation of a visa-free relationship between the United States and Russia would be a complicated and protracted process. Russia and the European Union negotiations for such a relationship have been ongoing since 2002. Top EU officials, while speaking in favor of the measure, have said that full abolishment of visas won’t happen in the near future.

“If Russia and the United States agree on visa-free travel before Russia and the European Union make a similar decision, that would be an historic step,” Putin told Biden.

“Such a step would shatter old stereotypes between Russia and USA. (By doing that) we would turn an important page referring to our past, and start (our relations) from scratch,” Putin said.

Russians presently enjoy visa-free or simplified visa arrangements with more than 90 countries.

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Visa-free travel between Russia and the EU will top the agenda of  Thursday’s meeting  in Brussels between members of the Russian government and representatives of the  European Commission.

Speaking in Kaliningrad on Wednesday PM Vladimir Putin said much attention would be paid to lifting visa restrictions between Russia’s westernmost exclave and the neighboring EU countries.

Poland has already given a nod to the idea and Russia is currently discussing the matter with other European nations.

Source: The Voice of Russia

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The EU understands the need for abolition of visa regime with Russia, but is awaiting reciprocal steps from Moscow.

This was announced at a press conference in Kaliningrad (Western Russia) by the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the German Bundestag Ruprecht Polenz, who is taking part in the ongoing first trilateral meeting of parliamentarians- international affairs experts from Russia, Poland and Germany.

Head of the Russian State Duma International Committee Konstantin Kosachev noted that the MPs are unanimous on the issue of visa-free regime between Kaliningrad and the neighboring provinces of Poland.

However, in practice it all hinges on the internal regulations of the European Union, Kosachev said, stressing that on the part of Russia there were no problems.

Source: Voice of Russia

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Russian citizens no longer need to obtain visas to visit Chile, as the sides have cancelled mutual visa formalities. Both Russians and Chileans can enter, leave, transit and stay on the territory of the other state without visas for up to 90 days.

Santiago Airport in Chile

Earlier, this track was taken by other Latin American countries – Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Peru, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Columbia and Venezuela. And this move appears to be rather logical, since the abolishment of visa barriers will entail an increase in tourism exchanges, promote the expansion of contacts and foster cooperation at various levels. In the long run, this will have a favorable impact on the interests of all parties concerned.

The expansion of visa-free travel zones still ranks high on Russia’s list of priorities. Serious progress is obvious not only as regards the Latin American states. Dozens of countries have either lifted visa restrictions or considerably simplified entry procedures for citizens of the Russian Federation. Needless to say, this was carried out on a bilateral basis.

At present, at the top of the agenda is the removal of visa barriers between Russia and the European Union – two leading economic partners with diverse exchanges. Nevertheless, there is more than meets the eye to the abolition of visas, Deputy Chairman of Russian State Duma’s Foreign Affairs Committee Andrei Klimov pointed out.

“From an organizational and technical perspective, there are no major challenges to be met when following this course. But, of course, here we deal with certain political issues, since a number of EU politicians along with some high-ranking bureaucrats have always been obstructing decisions to this effect. Russia is known to have been persistently offering a reciprocal visa cancellation agreement to the EU for a long time. Despite a lack of progress, the situation may change drastically in the next year or two, given that all necessary political assurances have already been made,” Andrei Klimov said.

And still, we can talk about certain advancement along the path towards the intended objectives. Spain, France and Italy have recently put forward an initiative to liberalize their visa regimes for Russian citizens. Those seeking a Schengen zone reentry permit will receive one that will be valid for two years with a right of multiple entry. Third-time applicants will be granted five-year multiple-entry visas. And while this should facilitate travel between Russia and the EU, the initiative will hardly manage to resolve issues concerning the openness of borders within Europe.

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Turkish and Russian officials signed on Tuesday a readmission agreement, a step that brings the two countries closer to introducing a visa-free travel regime for their nationals.

The agreement on readmission of illegal immigrants was signed in Moscow, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. The agreement will enter into force simultaneously with a visa exemption agreement that was signed in May 2010.

Thanks to this agreement, the fight against illegal migration was also included in the wide activities of cooperation between Turkey and Russia, the statement said. Officials expect illegal migration could become a bigger problem when Turks and Russians are allowed to travel without having to obtain a visa. Turkey, which seeks a visa exemption for its nationals in their travels to European Union countries, is still negotiating a deal with Brussels for the readmission of illegal migrants who transit Turkish territory to reach EU destinations.

Economic and political ties between Turkey and Russia have grown dramatically in the past years. Tourism is also booming as about 3 million Russians flock to Turkey every year, particularly to tourism destinations along the Mediterranean coast. The Foreign Ministry said the visa-free regime would help the two countries further improve their cultural and social ties as well as develop economic and commercial relations by boosting contacts between Turkish and Russian businessmen.

The decision to sign a readmission agreement, seen as the final obstacle before a visa-free regime, was made during a visit to Russia by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan last year.

The agreement was signed by Şakir Fakıllı, the director-general for consular affairs at the Foreign Ministry, and Russian Deputy Director of the Federal Migration Service Nikolay Smorodin in Moscow on Tuesday. Fakıllı said he hoped the ratification processes of both the visa exemption and readmission agreements would be completed in a short time so that visa-free travel could begin as soon as possible. The readmission agreement obliges the parties that signed the agreement to readmit persons who enter the other country illegally. Turkish Foreign Ministry officials said visa-free travel between Turkey and Russia could begin as soon as April.

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On January 14, Russian news agencies reported about the negotiations, which the Russian Foreign Ministry conducts with European countries. As it was said, Europe agreed to issue single-entry Schengen visas to Russian citizens during their first visit to European countries. During a second visit to Europe, a Russian citizen will be allowed to receive multi-entry visa for the period of two years. Afterwards, visas will be issued for the period of five years.

Will Russians be able to travel to Europe more in near future, or will visa regulations still mar the relations between Russia and the European Union?

The cancellation of the visa regime between the Russian Federation and the European Union has been one of the hottest issues during the recent years. However, Brussels does not hurry to open the doors to Europe for the Russians. In October it became known as a result of the talks in France that Europe would be prepared to cancel visas for Russia in 10 or 15 years only. Nevertheless, Russia’s Medvedev set out a hope in the beginning of December that Russia and the EU would cancel the visa-entry regime before the World Cup in Russia in 2018.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is more optimistic about the matter. On Thursday, Mr. Lavrov told reporters that Russia and the EU had achieved considerable progress in the talks. Moscow hopes to conduct an active cooperation with Brussels this year to discuss the questions which hamper the elimination of visas, Lavrov said.

The sides have already made the list of questions that need to be solved to give Russian citizens an opportunity to visit Europe freely. “We hope to solve all those problems this year, or, at least, to solve them actively. This will be the test for the strategic character of our relations,” the minister said. The Russian Federation and the European Union are strategic partners, and it is vitally important for such partners to refuse from the visas at all, Lavrov noted.

European officials say that several European countries are indeed ready to simplify visa regulations for Russian citizens. However, it is much more important for many other states to preserve visas to avoid the inflow of economic migrants from the former USSR.

The EU presented the list of requirements to Russia in the beginning of December. If Russia meets the requirements, the EU will probably abolish the visa regime for the Russian Federation. Europe wants Russia to strengthen the struggle against organized crime, terrorism and corruption. To achieve progress in the anti-corruption struggle, Russia was offered to establish cooperation with European law-enforcement and court bodies.

Finland does not conceal its interest in simplifying the visa regime with Russia, because Finland is a very popular destination with Russian tourists. Spain, France and Italy also intend to ease visa regulations for Russian travelers.

French Prime Minister Francois Fillon stated during his visit to Moscow in December that the visa entry regime would be preserved, but he promised that France would use the opportunities of the current European rules to automatically issue long-term visas during the renewal of short-term visas.

However, it is obvious that the procedure to eliminate visas with the European Union is a very long, non-transparent and non-regulated process. It may take years for words to become action. Most recently, the given procedure was conducted in November 2010 for the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania. The citizens of these countries had been waiting for the decision since 2003.

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