Indonesians may soon be able to travel to Russia with minimal administrative fuss — just don’t overstay your welcome and work there without the appropriate permits.
As quoted by Russian news agency Tass this week, Deputy Foreign Minister Yevgeny Ivanov said Russia is preparing simplified visa regimes with six countries, including Indonesia.
“In addition to India, we are also working on draft inter-government agreements that imply mutual simplification of visa regime with Angola, Vietnam, Indonesia, Syria and the Philippines,” Ivanov said.
Russian travelers may obtain a 30-day visa on arrival (VOA) in Indonesia worth IDR500K (US$32.37), which is as simple a requirement as it gets before a full visa waiver.
Indonesians traveling to Russia, on the other hand, must obtain a visa prior to arrival. In 2019, however, Russia began giving free e-visas allowing Indonesians to visit St. Petersburg or the Leningrad region via certain entry points.
Amid its undeniable dip in popularity for invading Ukraine, Russia seems keen to establish relations with nations it does not consider to be hostile towards it. On top of simplifying visa requirements for the six aforementioned nations, Russia is also working on waiving visa requirements for citizens of 11 countries, including Malaysia.
Indonesia has tiptoed around the issue of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as the Southeast Asian nation juggled the interests of its foreign allies. President Joko Widodo notably became the first Asian leader to visit both Moscow and Kyiv in an attempt to bridge peace talks, which did not bear fruit.
