In 2008 it was issued 2,9 million visas to Russia. Before the end of this year this number will most likely make not more than 2,3 million. Currently there are 236 Russian abroad institutions executing consular functions in 146 countries, reports Interfax.
The budget restrictions do not afford Russia to increase the number of the consulates abroad, said Mr. Karlov but he noted at the actively developing institute of honorary consulates which number today is 92 and 19 of them were established for the last two years. The honorary Russian consulates are established in the most popular tourist’s destinations in Spain, Mexico, Greece, Indonesia.
The head of the Consular department stressed that the law-abiding foreigners should not meet any difficulties with getting Russian visas and the cases of refusals are very random. As a rule, such refusals appear when the variance of the real travel purpose happens and the one fixed in the visa application. Such refusal does not have irreversible character and can be revised after making amendments in the visa application. Anyhow, the number of visa refusals made by the Russian consulates abroad is multiply less than those made towards the Russian citizens in foreign countries, said Andrey Karlov.
-In our visas policy we follow “the principle of mirror” which means that the conditions of entering Russia for the citizens of each concrete country are approximately the same as for the Russian citizens in this country.
But Russia has already a positive experience of introduction “non-mirror principles” in visa regulations. For example in 2003 Russia unilaterally introduced 72-hours visa-free visits for the foreign cruise liners tourists. In 2008 the President of Russia has got the right to establish visa-free regime of foreign citizens staying in the country in unilateral order.
