India used President Vladimir Putin’s state visit on 5 December 2025 to announce its most generous unilateral visa concession in years: a free 30-day single-entry e-tourist visa and a matching 30-day group-tourist visa for Russian citizens. The scheme, to be rolled out “very soon” according to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, waives both the ₹2,500 fee and the biometric enrolment requirement that currently apply to most nationalities using India’s e-visa portal.
Behind the feel-good optics lies hard commercial logic. Russia has slipped out of India’s top-15 source markets since the war in Ukraine and the collapse of direct air links pushed airfares above ₹1 lakh. The Ministry of Tourism estimates that 187,000 Russian nationals visited India in 2019; arrivals fell below 60,000 in 2024. Officials hope the fee waiver—combined with Aeroflot’s planned re-entry on the Delhi–Moscow route—will restore at least 100,000 incremental arrivals in FY 2026-27.
![India Unveils Free 30-Day e-Tourist & Group Visas for Russian Travellers]()
Travel trade bodies cheered the move but called for reciprocity. The Indian Association of Tour Operators said Russian free visas could be a template for similar, cost-neutral bilateral waivers with Japan and South Korea. Airlines, meanwhile, must tackle capacity. Only 10 weekly services currently link the two countries; IndiGo and Vistara would need bilateral traffic-rights expansion to add charters or seasonal flights.
Corporate mobility managers should note that the concession is strictly leisure-focused. Business, conference and medical travellers will still need paid e-visas or consular stickers. Firms sending mixed delegations will therefore have to split applications by purpose of visit. Crucially, Russian visitors must still upload a return ticket and proof of funds, and overstays will attract penalties under the new Immigration & Foreigners Act 2025.
For India, the announcement burnishes its image as an open, tourist-friendly destination and dovetails with the country’s target of 15 million foreign holidaymakers by 2027. If the pilot succeeds, mobility specialists can expect a wider pivot to short-term fee waivers for priority markets in the next Union Budget.
Behind the feel-good optics lies hard commercial logic. Russia has slipped out of India’s top-15 source markets since the war in Ukraine and the collapse of direct air links pushed airfares above ₹1 lakh. The Ministry of Tourism estimates that 187,000 Russian nationals visited India in 2019; arrivals fell below 60,000 in 2024. Officials hope the fee waiver—combined with Aeroflot’s planned re-entry on the Delhi–Moscow route—will restore at least 100,000 incremental arrivals in FY 2026-27.
Travel trade bodies cheered the move but called for reciprocity. The Indian Association of Tour Operators said Russian free visas could be a template for similar, cost-neutral bilateral waivers with Japan and South Korea. Airlines, meanwhile, must tackle capacity. Only 10 weekly services currently link the two countries; IndiGo and Vistara would need bilateral traffic-rights expansion to add charters or seasonal flights.
Corporate mobility managers should note that the concession is strictly leisure-focused. Business, conference and medical travellers will still need paid e-visas or consular stickers. Firms sending mixed delegations will therefore have to split applications by purpose of visit. Crucially, Russian visitors must still upload a return ticket and proof of funds, and overstays will attract penalties under the new Immigration & Foreigners Act 2025.
For India, the announcement burnishes its image as an open, tourist-friendly destination and dovetails with the country’s target of 15 million foreign holidaymakers by 2027. If the pilot succeeds, mobility specialists can expect a wider pivot to short-term fee waivers for priority markets in the next Union Budget.
