Iran, Russia to facilitate visa issuance: FM spokesman

EghtesadOnline: Iran and Russia plan to remove visa requirement for tourism with certain terms but no agreement has been signed or implemented yet, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi said on Monday.

News ID: ۷۷۱۷۳۹

28 November 2016

Speaking to IRNA, Qasemi rejected some media reports claiming that Iran and Russia have removed visa issuance.

'Tehran and Moscow are expected to sign an agreement for removing visa requirement for tourism under certain conditions in the near future,' he said.

The Russian-based Sputnik News Agency said in a report on Sunday that a new agreement has been signed by consular departments’ chiefs of the Russian and Iranian foreign ministries which is set to simplify the visa regime and drastically increase tourist flow between the two nations.

Sputnik quoted Yevgeny Ivanov, head of the Russian Foreign Ministry Consular Department that per the new agreement, tour groups of 5 to 50 people heading to Russia from Iran or vice versa will be granted a visa-free stay of up to 15 days.