The general visa will become available to travelers intending to visit these countries as early as January. They plan to fully implement this intention by 2025.
The situation with the «Arab» visas for residents of Russia in 2023 are as follows:
- you can stay in the UAE freely for up to 3 months;
- in Qatar – up to 1 month;
- Oman welcomes visa-free tourists for up to 2 weeks;
- Bahrain offers an entry permit stamp valid for up to 2 weeks. Its cost – $15.
- Saudi Arabia will not allow stay on its territory without an electronic visa worth 13 thousand rubles;
- a trip to Kuwait will be the most difficult: after contacting the embassy and choosing a host company, you must wait for an invitation to the country through the hotel.
With a general visa, traveling to these countries will become much easier.
Recall that the most loyal countries for Russians in terms of visa-free travel are Thailand – up to 90 days of stay, Vietnam – up to 45 days and Angola, for a trip to which from Russia you will not need a visa.
As for the Gulf countries, today there is a simplified regime for Russian citizens entering these countries. At the same time, visiting Saudi Arabia requires collecting documents to obtain electronic visas. The percentage of their issuance for Russians is 99%. It is much easier to come to Oman or Qatar than to Saudi Arabia.
The functionality of the general visa will be similar to the Schengen visa introduced in European countries. The purpose of the introduction – increase in tourist flow. The authorities of six countries intend to reach a figure of 210-220% (129 million people) in 7 years compared to 2021 (40 million arrivals). The largest number of tourists visit Dubai. Thus, from January to June, the emirate received about 9 million travelers.
