Some 90 countries require Russians to have a visa in order to set foot on their soil.
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The Russian passport is ranked 33rd in the Global Passport Power Rank and 46th in the one compiled by Henley & Partners. Indeed, some 90 countries require Russians to present a visa upon entry.
Schengen area
Europe remains one of the most popular destinations for Russian tourists. However, they need a visa to travel to the 26 countries of the Schengen zone, which includes 22 member countries of the European Union. It should be noted that this visa opens the door to a whole series of other countries and territories, but under different conditions.
Other European countries
Not all European countries are part of the Schengen area and therefore have an independent visa policy. This is the case of Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Georgia, Ireland, Kosovo (whose independence Russia does not recognize), North Macedonia, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Romania, the United Kingdom, San Marino, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine and the Vatican City.
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Of the countries mentioned above, only Bulgaria, Croatia, Ireland, Kosovo, Monaco, Romania, San Marino, the United Kingdom and the Vatican require Russians for a visa. As for Cyprus, it issues it to tourists on arrival. For the other countries on the list, a visa-free regime is in force.
North America
If the visa-free regime is in force between Russia and many South American countries, the situation changes once it comes to the North. Thus, Russians need a visa to travel to Canada, the United States and Mexico. The latter, however, offers Russians the opportunity to apply for an electronic visa online.
Asia
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan – those Asian countries that were once part of the Soviet Union – as well as certain South Asian countries – this is the case of Indonesia, Thailand, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar (Burma), South Korea and Vietnam – do not require Russians for a visa upon entry. Indonesia, a country which normally opens its territory to Russian citizens without a visa, has however temporarily prohibited entry to foreign tourists, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
>>> Why do foreign tourists travel to Russia despite the pandemic?
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On the other hand, you will need a visa to go to China, Japan, Australia or New Zealand. As for India, which requires a visa, this country allows you to apply online. Finally, North Korea, one of the most closed countries on the planet, also asks Russians wishing to go there to obtain a visa first.
In total, 87 countries require Russians to obtain a visa in advance.
In this other article, we explained in detail to which countries Russian citizens can travel without a visa.
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