Russian President Signs Law Waiving Visas for Major Events

14/05/2008 by Charlotte Norman

The President of Russia Dimitry Medvedev, has signed a new federal law allowing him to set provisions for the arrival and departure of foreign citizens and stateless persons to and from Russia.

A bill has been passed by the State Duma which allows the president to use a presidential decree in order to waive visas and suspend regulations for entry to special events being hosted in Russia.

The law is part of a sponsored bill which now passed by the Duma is ready to be discussed at a special session scheduled for Monday. There the bill will be examined in greater depth and hopefully granted approval by the Federation Council. Following this procedure, it will then await the final signature of Medvedev before officially being passed as constitutional law.

Liam Clifford of globalvisas.com says "Russia's prominent wealth and assured confidence has led to it becoming an increasingly sought after venue for international sports events, yet bureaucratic visa procedures has cast a cloud over proceedings."

Initially the bill was to be discussed in relation to the future 2014 Winter Olympics. It was hoped that the new powers would coincide with the games therefore granting athletes and visitors' permission to arrive without visas.

However, the recent noise surrounding the forthcoming Champions League Final which is to be hosted in Moscow on the 21st May has caused the Russian government to take action on the bill sooner than expected. Once the sheer volume of fans which would be travelling to the city for the Chelsea Vs Manchester United clash was recognised, the issue of granting foreigners Russian visas was one which urgently needed to be addressed.

The issue was resolved with President Medvedev signing a decree allowing visa-free entry for foreign citizens and stateless persons coming to Russia, on the condition of a UEFA Champions League ticket and passport being presented.

The new law will be a great advantage for all fans travelling to a whole host of Russian sporting events. In particular the forthcoming 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, and the Inteco Russian Open Golf Championship will hope to benefit.

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