Russian tourists to get visas on arrival to UAE

DUBAI // Citizens of the Russian Federation visiting the UAE will in future be granted an entry visa at any entry point on arrival.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, approved Cabinet Decree No 24 for 2017, which means that under UAE regulations, Russians will now be given an initial entry visa for 30 days, renewable only once for a further 30 days.

The strategic cooperation and common ambitions of the UAE and Russia will be enhanced because of the decree, which will also create new horizons of economic and tourist cooperation serving common interests and goals, reported Wam, the state news agency.

It will also strengthen the international competitiveness of the UAE as a vibrant economic, commercial and tourist hub in the region, Wam said.

The UAE has received more than 600,000 Russian tourists in the past two years, and there are 56 flights a week between the two countries by UAE national carriers. This number is expected to increase after the decree comes into force.

Elena Goncharova, a Russian resident in the UAE, said after she had read the decree, that it was great news for Russians.

“More people can get an entry from Russia to the UAE even for a short break. It will also be much easier than before and will save budget too,” the 37-year-old said.

“This change was done due to good investment in UAE economy for the past few years,” Ms Goncharova said.

The two countries have always benefited from a strong bilateral relationship in all aspects and this can be seen through the strategic partnerships between them and various agreements covering economy, tourism and clean energy cooperation.

The UAE is Russia’s most important business partner in the GCC and is the 10th largest foreign investor in Russia with projects valued at Dh66 billion up to 2014.

During 2015, non-oil trade between the two countries reached Dh9bn, and the UAE is investing about Dh18bn in infrastructure in Russia. The average growth of foreign non-oil trade between the two over the past five years was 31 per cent.