Citizens of 53 countries can now enter Russia’s western-most region on an e-visa

On July 1, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs authorized entry into the Kaliningrad region by e-visa, according to its website.

To apply for a visa, potential visitors have to fill out an application form on the website of the consular department of the Russian Foreign Ministry and attach a photo. The application can be made no later than four and no earlier than 20 days before the expected date of entry. The visa is issued in four days, regardless of holidays and weekends.

The visa is issued for a 30-day period for stays in the region of no longer than eight days. The purpose of travel can be tourism, business, or humanitarian reasons. The visa, however, is not valid for travel to other parts of the Russian Federation. It covers only the city and region of Kaliningrad, which form a Russian exclave wedged between Poland and Lithuania, separated from the rest of Russia.

By July 4, more than 2,000 applications for an e-visa to Kaliningrad had been submitted, said Alla Ivanova, head of the regional agency for international and interregional relations.

An identical e-visa regime exists for entry into Vladivostok, via land and sea checkpoints. And since Sept. 1, 2018, the scheme been extended to airports across the entire Far Eastern Federal District.

List of countries whose citizens can apply for an e-visa to Kaliningrad: