Russia Plans to Reform Its Electronic Visa System: Validity to Be Reduced to 45 Days

Russia appears to be preparing a major overhaul of its electronic visa system. A draft bill made public on November 2, 2026, proposes several key changes to the rules governing the nationwide e-visa: validity period, permitted length of stay, and entry requirements. The draft was published on the official Russian portal for regulatory proposals and is intended to amend Article 25.16-1 of Federal Law No. 114-FZ, which governs entry and exit requirements for the Russian Federation. Important: This is currently only a proposal that has not yet entered into force.

The most significant planned change concerns the validity period of the e-visa itself. Starting August 23, 2025, eligible travelers will be able to apply for an e-visa that is valid for 120 days from the date of issuance and allows for a stay of up to 30 days in Russia. The new draft would shorten this validity period to 45 days. At the same time, however, the previous strict separation between the visa’s validity period and the maximum permitted length of stay is to be eliminated: In the future, travelers will be allowed to remain in Russia for the entire validity period of the e-visa, rather than being limited to 30 days from the date of entry, as has been the case until now.

Specifically, Article 1 of the draft would replace the current wording “no more than 30 days from the date of entry” with permission to remain in the country “for the entire period of validity.” For travelers, this could mean in practice that a longer continuous stay will be possible than before—albeit within a shorter overall time frame for entry itself. Anyone who wants to plan their trip flexibly should keep a close eye on this change in deadlines, as both the latest entry date and the maximum length of stay would change compared to the current system.

In addition to the validity period, the draft also provides for simplified border crossings and the introduction of transit as a recognized purpose of travel for the e-visa. This would expand the possible uses of the electronic visa and could be of particular interest to travelers who wish to transit through Russia on their way to a third country without having to apply for a separate visa. Until now, transit was not recognized as a separate purpose for the e-visa, so travelers had to rely on other visa categories.

For applicants currently planning a trip to Russia, nothing will change for the time being: The existing rules—with a 120-day validity period and a stay of up to 30 days—will continue to apply as long as the draft has not been adopted and put into effect. Nevertheless, it’s worth keeping an eye on developments, as both the flexibility for planning and the deadlines for entry and stay could change in the foreseeable future. Anyone wishing to apply for an e-visa for Russia should check in advance the conditions valid at the time of travel.

Since the requirements for documents, deadlines, and length of stay may vary depending on the purpose of the trip, it is advisable to have your individual situation carefully reviewed in advance. Depending on the reason for the trip—such as tourism, business, or transit—different visa categories may apply, such as the tourist visa for Russia or the transit visa for Russia, should the planned reform recognizing “transit” as a valid purpose of travel actually be implemented. We continuously monitor legislative developments in Russia and adapt our advice as soon as specific changes take effect.