Sri Lanka has announced an extension of its visa-free entry initiative for visitors from 7 countries until April 30, 2024. Citizens of India, China, Russia, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia, and Thailand were first approved for visa-free entry by the Cabinet of Ministers in October 2023. The program was initially due to last until March 31. However,
Visa Requirements for Russian Citizens
Visa requirements for Russian citizens are administrative entry restrictions for Russian passport holders set by the authorities of other states.
The Russian passport is considered the 48th in the ranking in terms of travel freedom according to the Henley Passport Index, as Russian citizens have visa-free or visa on arrival access to over 120 countries and territories.
Before planning a trip to a foreign country, citizens of Russia should check the visa requirements for Russia passport holders as well as verify that their passport has a minimum validity of 6 months and have one or two blank pages.
Visa requirements for Russian passport holders differ depending on the country of destination the traveler plans to visit, the purpose of the trip, and the duration of the intended stay.
It may be necessary to obtain an embassy visa, an electronic travel visa authorization, or a visa on arrival to travel to a foreign country from South Africa. However, there are dependent and autonomous territories for which a visa may not be required, but a special permit may be necessary.
Most territories which are visa-exempt for citizens of the Russian Federation permit travelers from Russia to visit for a short period of time from 14 days up to 6 months without having to obtain an electronic or embassy visa.
If the purpose of the visit is other than tourism, business or transit, or for longer periods of stay, it is normally necessary to obtain a visa to travel to the destination.
However, other visa-free countries for Russian citizens may require the visitor to get an electronic travel authorization online before arriving in the territory.
