From June 30, 2025, Russia is launching an experimental entry procedure for foreigners and stateless persons arriving under a visa-free regime. The system of preliminary electronic registration via the ruID mobile application will be tested for a year. The new rules do not cancel the visa-free regime itself, but only supplement it. To confirm biometric data, it is necessary to contact one of the accredited banks, the list of which is published on the Central Bank website.
Foreign citizens from countries with a visa-free regime, including Kazakhstan, are invited to register in advance in the Unified Identification and Authentication System (ESIA) and submit an application for entry into the country through the ruID application. This can be done no earlier than 90 days and no later than 72 hours before arrival. In emergency cases, such as illness or death of a relative, an application can be submitted four hours before entry, but supporting documents will need to be provided.
All visa-free foreigners can register, except for citizens of Belarus, children under 6 years of age, and visa holders (including diplomatic and service visas). It is emphasized that registration is voluntary.
The application indicates the country of departure, purpose of visit, dates of travel, regions of stay in the Russian Federation, and data of children (from 6 to 18 years old) traveling with their parents. The submission of biometric data is also provided for — a photograph of the face, document, and voice sample. If biometrics have already been submitted in the Russian Federation previously, an application can be submitted through the "Gosuslugi" portal. At the border, it is necessary to present a passport, the data of which was specified in ruID.
Within 10 days after entry, a foreigner must complete biometric registration in the Unified Biometric System by contacting one of the bank branches with a passport. This procedure is mandatory if an application has been submitted.
The absence of an application does not prevent border control, but registration in ruID provides access to online government services, mobile operators, and payment services in Russia. The experiment does not concern visa entry and does not apply to visa holders, including a single electronic visa.
The ruID application is already available for download in the App Store, Google Play, and RuStore. It supports Russian, English, Kazakh, Armenian, Kyrgyz, Tajik, and Uzbek languages.
The Ministry of Digital Development clarified that data from a foreigner's application is checked at the border. A digital profile is formed, a SNILS is created, and a standard account for the "Gosuslugi" portal is created.
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