Russia Pursues Visa-Free Agreements with Indonesia and Malaysia

The Russian Ministry of Economic Development is actively working toward visa-free agreements with Indonesia and Malaysia, according to Nikita Kondratyev, the ministry’s director for multilateral economic cooperation and special projects. Speaking at a press conference organized by the Russian Union of Travel Industry, Kondratyev said these two countries, along with Vietnam, are the key Southeast Asian markets for inbound tourism. A group visa-free arrangement for Vietnamese tourists is also being developed.

Russia previously extended its visa-free regime with China until the end of 2027 and introduced visa-free travel with Saudi Arabia and Oman. Economic Development Minister Maxim Reshetnikov said in April that Russia is interested in further expanding visa-free arrangements, and work is already underway with Malaysia, Bahrain, and Kuwait.