Tourism in Russia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

St. Basil's Cathedral in Red Square

Tourism in Russia has seen rapid growth since the late Soviet times, first domestic tourism and then international tourism as well. Rich cultural heritage and great natural variety place Russia among the most popular tourist destinations in the world. Not including Crimea, the country contains 23 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, while many more are on UNESCO's tentative lists.[1]

Major tourist routes in Russia include a travel around the Golden Ring of ancient cities, cruises on the big rivers including the Volga, and long journeys on the famous Trans-Siberian Railway. Diverse regions and ethnic cultures of Russia offer many different foods and souvenirs, and show a great variety of traditions, including Russian Maslenitsa, Tatar Sabantuy, or Siberian shamanist rituals. In 2013, Russia was visited by 33 million tourists, making it the ninth-most visited country in the world and the seventh-most visited in Europe.[2]

Land and climate[]

Birch forest in summer in Central European Russia

Central European Russia (e.g. Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, etc.) is in the same climate zone as the Baltic states, Belarus, and northern Ukraine. The climate of south-west Russia (the lower Volga, and the area between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea) is more arid, with hotter summers and shorter winters. The climate of Russia's Far East along the Pacific coast is similar to that of Hokkaido, Japan and north-east China. The most severe climate is in Siberia where winters are very cold and summers are very hot, and in Russia's Far North where temperatures are always low, with the exception of Murmansk, where the sea never freezes due to the influence of the warm Norwegian Current. The climate of Russia's Black Sea coast is subtropical.

Contrary to popular belief, the climate of most popular tourist areas of Russia is not severe and is similar to that of Eastern Europe. The mean temperatures of December, January and February in Moscow are −4 °C (25 °F), −7 °C (19 °F), −6 °C (21 °F) respectively, but colder weather is common. Over the past few decades spells of extremely cold weather (below −20 °C/-4 °F) in central European Russia have become rare (in the winter 2016/2017, Moscow had temperatures below −20 °C only for three days), while the number of wintry days when the temperature is close to or slightly above the freezing point has grown significantly. In coastal areas wintry temperatures can feel somewhat colder than they actually are due to high humidity.

Unless you are allergic to the pollen of certain trees and herbs (such as birch, horse chestnut, alder, lilac, cherry tree, ash tree, rowan tree, lime tree, dandelion), the best time for travelling to central European Russia is late spring when the temperatures are pleasant and many trees are in bloom, and early and mid autumn when trees change their colour and it is not cold yet. Summer months are also good except for June in cities in central and south Russia when poplar fluff can be a nuisance, but recently the authorities of many Russian cities have taken action against the fluff by cutting and removing poplar trees and the situation has improved dramatically. Late autumn, winter months, and early spring will be enjoyable if you wear appropriate clothes and shoes. If you are interested in winter activities, in central European Russia it usually begins to snow in late autumn and snowpack usually doesn't melt away completely before early April, although spells of warm weather do occur and snow can temporarily melt away in mid-winter. Ski resorts in mountainous areas have snow throughout the winter season. Central European Russia sometimes experiences cold spells in early May when the temperature can go from +15 °C/59 °F to the freezing point for a few days.

Tourism[]

Visa and Entry Requirements[]

See also: Visa policy of Russia
The Motherland Calls in Volgograd is the tallest statue of a woman in the world (not including pedestals)

The citizens of member states, most Latin American countries, Israel and South Africa, can travel in Russia for 90 days without a visa; visitors from South Korea can visit Russia for 60 days without a visa; while tourists from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cuba, Laos, Macau, Macedonia, Mongolia, Montenegro, Serbia, Seychelles and Thailand, can visit for 30 days without a visa.

Free e-visas for visiting three regions in Russia's Far East (Primorye, Sakhalin, and Kamchatka) are available for tourists from China, Japan, India, Iran, Turkey, Morocco, Mexico, and some other countries.

Tourists from other countries are required to visit a Russian diplomatic mission to purchase a visa. Tourists are required to have a valid passport when crossing the Russian border. Russian visas cannot be purchased at the border. For more information see visa policy of Russia.

Cultural tourism[]

Kizhi in north-west Russia
Bolshaya Pokrovskaya Street in Nizhny Novgorod

The most popular tourist destinations in Russia are Saint Petersburg (which appeared in the list of top visited cities of Europe in 2010) and Moscow, the current and the former capitals of the country and great cultural centers, recognized as World Cities. Moscow and Saint Petersburg feature such world-renowned museums as Hermitage and Tretyakov Gallery, famous theaters including Bolshoi and Mariinsky, ornate churches such as Saint Basil's Cathedral, Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Saint Isaac's Cathedral and Church of the Savior on Blood, impressive fortifications such as Moscow Kremlin and Peter and Paul Fortress, beautiful squares such as Red Square and Palace Square, and streets such as Tverskaya and Nevsky Prospect. Rich palaces and parks of extreme beauty are found in the former imperial residences in the suburbs of Moscow (Kolomenskoye, Tsaritsyno) and Saint Petersburg (Peterhof, Strelna, Oranienbaum, Gatchina, Pavlovsk Palace, Tsarskoye Selo). Moscow contains a great variety of impressive Soviet-era buildings along with modern skyscrapers, while Saint Petersburg, nicknamed Venice of the North, boasts its classical architecture, many rivers, channels and bridges.

Grand Cascade in Peterhof in Saint Petersburg

Nizhny Novgorod is the capital of the Volga region. It is considered to be "younger brother" of Moscow because it has its own Kremlin, the metro, the so-called "Nizhny Novgorod Arbat" (Bolshaya Pokrovskaya Street) and even a copy of the monument to Minin and Pozharsky, the original of which is in the Russian capital. Nizhny Novgorod is divided into two parts by the Oka River. The Upper City is its historical part. Here are the Kremlin, Minin and Pozharsky Square, Bolshaya Pokrovskaya and Rozhdestvenskaya streets, nightclubs, open spaces, a large number of monuments and simply historical places. The Lower City is its industrial and commercial part. Here are the Fair, the old Sormovo and Kanavino, GAZ and Sotsgorod (the so-called "city in the city"), the railway terminal, the airport and many attractions for people who want to see the styles of underground, industrial and grunge. The city is the main starting point for cruises along Volga River. From here begins shipping to Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan, shows a unique mix of Christian Russian and Muslim Tatar cultures. The city has registered a brand The Third Capital of Russia, though a number of other major Russian cities compete for this status, including Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg and Samara, all being major cultural centers with rich history and prominent architecture. Veliky Novgorod, Pskov, Dmitrov and the cities of Golden Ring (Vladimir, Yaroslavl, Kostroma and others) have at best preserved the architecture and the spirit of ancient and medieval Rus', and also are among the main tourist destinations. Many old fortifications (typically Kremlins), monasteries and churches are scattered throughout Russia, forming its unique cultural landscape both in big cities and in remote areas.

Sakha Republic proposes to use former forced labour camps as a tourist attraction.[3] Poles visit places of Communist crimes, e.g. of the Katyn massacre and Solovetsky Islands.[4][5]

Notable museums[]

Russia enjoys a rich cultural heritage and is home to many museums. The most notable include the Tretyakov Gallery, the Kremlin Armoury and the State Historical Museum in Moscow, the Hermitage Museum, and the Russian Museum in St Petersburg, the Kazan Kremlin in Kazan, etc.

Russia is also famous for having many museums related to its literary and classical music heritage, such as Yasnaya Polyana associated with Leo Tolstoy, the Mikhaylovskoye Museum Reserve associated with Alexander Pushkin, the Dostoyevsky Museum, the Tchaikovsky State House-Museum. the Rimsky-Korsakov Apartment and Museum, the Mikhail Glinka Museum in Moscow, the Sergei Rachmaninoff Estate Museum in Ivanovka, Tambov Region, the Alexander Scriabin Apartment Museum in Moscow.

Museums related to Russia's military history and military hardware include the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War on Poklonnaya Hill, the Central Museum of the Armed Forces of Russia in Moscow, the Central Museum of the Russian Air Force in Monino, Moscow Region, the Central Naval Museum in St Petersburg, the Battle of Stalingrad Museum in Volgograd.

Famous museums related to science and technology include the Polytechnic Museum of Moscow, the Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics, the Museum of the Energia Rocket and Space Corporation in Korolev, Moscow Region.

The State Historical Museum
Russian Museum
Museum of the Great Patriotic War, Moscow
The Hermitage Museum

Nature tourism[]

In Russia, Nature Reserves have long history and it has its own word of definition Zapovedniks (Russian: заповедник, plural заповедники, ) more than 100 Nature Reserves exist in Russia and it has a great attraction to tourists. several of them are among World Heritage Sites. The most famous national parks and sanctuaries of Russia include the Baikal Nature Reserve , the Altai Nature Reserve, the Lazovsky Nature Reserve, the Kedrovaya Pad Nature Reserve, the Curonian Spit Nature Reserve, the Valdaysky National Park, the Baikal-Lena Nature Reserve, the Ilmen Nature Reserve. The Seven Wonders of Russia, the most popular tourist destinations chosen in a national vote in 2008, include Lake Baikal, Valley of Geysers, Manpupuner rock formations, and Mount Elbrus. Other areas interesting for tourists include Kamchatka with its volcanoes and geysers, Karelia where many lakes and granite rocks are found, including , Tyva with its wild steppes, Republic of Adygea where Fisht Mountain is located, Chechnya Republic where Lake Kezenoyam is located.[6]

The Valley of Geysers in Kamchatka Peninsula
Lake Baikal, the deepest lake in the world and the biggest fresh-water lake by volume
Mount Elbrus with its two peaks
The Manpupuner rock formations

Health tourism[]

Narzan Gallery building in Kislovodsk housing a dozen fontains of both hot and cold mineral-rich water

Numerous spa towns having been established at a hot spring. The most renown regions are Kamchatka Krai, Altai Krai, Krasnodar Krai, Stavropol Krai, North Caucasus region of Russia[7].Numerous cites enjoy natural hot spring water during winter and some of Russian cities are called Russian Spa town, including Pyatigorsk, Yessentuki, Kislovodsk, Zheleznovodsk and Mineralnye Vody; these towns are jointly known as the Caucasian Mineral Waters.

Russia has one of the largest water borders in world and that makes Russia perfect for resort tourism. The warm subtropical Black Sea coast of Russia is the site for a number of popular seaside resorts such as Sochi and Tuapse, known for their shale beaches and wonderful nature.

Winter sport[]

A vast part of Russian territory is in Subarctic climate and humid continental climate, and that is why it is cold. In addition, Russia is mountainous in regions like Northern Caucasus, Altai Krai and Kamchatka Peninsula. The Highest peak in Europe, Mount Elbrus, is in Russia, which makes Russia a perfect place for Winter sport. In fact, ski resorts are quite common in Russia and 2014 Winter Olympics is the resemblance of how ski resorts has been developed in Russia. The most famous ski resort in Russia is Sochi and its Krasnaya Polyana. Other most popular ski resorts in Russia are Dombay in Karachay–Cherkessia in Northern Caucasus.

The Gornaya Karusel in Sochi
Dombay
The Sheregesh in Kemerovo Oblast
Igora ski resort

Medical tourism[]

Russia is a destination for medical tourism. A large factor in its continued popularity is the relatively weak ruble post-2014, which saw the industry grow rapidly from some 110 thousand clients in 2017[8] to some 728 thousand clients in the first five months of 2020.[9] Stomatology is the most popular (44% of patients), genecology and urology follow (25% taken together), the other popular services are plastic surgery (10%), ophthalmology (10%), and cardiology (5%).[8] Most clients come from the CIS states, where receiving high-tech medical assistance can be problematic, particularly from Central Asia, which amounts for 62% of all patients; but also from Eastern Europe (32%), South and East Asia (5%).[10] In addition to price and accessibility of complex manipulations, the difference in regulations between Russia and the clients' own nations is a driving factor for receiving care in Russia: for instance, in vitro fertilization is illegal in China, but legal in Russia.[9]

Religious tourism[]

Religious tourism has two main subtypes: pilgrimage, as travel done for religious or spiritual purposes, and the viewing of religious monuments and artefacts, as a kind of sightseeing. The former is relatively insignificant for the Russian tourism industry, amounting for approximately 100 thousands pilgrims yearly.[11] The latter is much more important, places of worship gracing the tourist centers of most Russian cities, or specifically visited even by secular tourists in their remote locations for their architectural splendour.

Orthodox Christianity being by far the most common religion in Russia, it also accounts for most religious monuments across the country, churches being so common a sight in Russia as to earn it a moniker "the golden-domed". Multiple Orthodox Christian churches and cathedrals are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site list.

Muslim peoples have been a part of the Russian state for half a millennium, which means multiple pieces of Islamic religious architectural art are scattered across the country, from mosques to maqāms. They are still mostly clustered in the historically Muslim regions, but some can be found in most major cities.

Russia has a significant Buddhist minority, including the Buryats traditionally living near Lake Baikal, the Tuvans, as well as the Kalmyks, the only Buddhist ethnicity of Europe.

Major national holidays and celebrations[]

for a full list see Public holidays in Russia

  • Novy God (New Year's Eve), 31 December
  • Orthodox Christmas, 7 January
  • Maslenitsa, in February or March, in the week before the Lent (according to the Julian calendar)
  • Easter, in spring after the Lent (according to the Julian calendar)
  • Victory Day, 9 May
  • Day of Slavic Alphabet and Culture, 24 May
  • Russia Day, 12 June
  • Kupala Night, 7 July
  • Day of Christianization of Kievan Rus', 28 July
  • Navy Day (Russia), the last Sunday of July (major celebrations include naval parades in Saint Petersburg and Vladivostok)
  • Unity Day (Russia), 4 November
  • Defender of the Fatherland Day, 23 February

Major events[]

  • Honey Fair in Kolomenskoye, February – March, an annual honey festival in Kolomenskoye, Moscow
  • KHL Conference Finals and the Gagarin Cup, March and April, final series of the Kontinental Hockey League
  • Kinotavr, June, an international film festival in Sochi
  • Scarlet Sails Festival, on a Saturday in the second half of June, annual celebration in St Petersburg marking the end of school year
  • International Tchaikovsky Competition, 10–30 June, an annual international competition in Moscow, final gala concerts 2–3 July in Moscow and St Petersburg
  • Russian Super Cup, July
  • MAKS (air show), July, an annual international aerospace show in Zhukovsky, Moscow Region
  • Silk Way Rally, July
  • , July, an international history festival in St Petersburg featuring historical medieval battles (HMB)
  • ,[12] July, an annual motor rally and car parade featuring classic cars in Moscow
  • Sabantui, on a Sunday in summer, a major holiday celebrated primarily in Tatarstan and Bashkortostan
  • Spasskaya Tower Military Music Festival and Tattoo, the last week of August, the first week of September, an annual international military music festival in Red Square, Moscow
  • Eid al-Fitr, 1st day of the month of Shawwal in the Islamic Calendar, in order to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan
  • Eid al-Adha, 10th day of the last month of Dhul-Hijjah in the Islamic calendar, locally known as Kurban Bairam, celebrated primarily in Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, North Caucasus and by Muslim communities in major cities
  • Chereshnevy Les Festival, summer, an international annual open-arts festival in Moscow
  • Okno v Yevropu, 6–12 August, an annual Russian film festival in Vyborg, Leningrad Region
  • Moscow International Film Festival, an international biennial film festival in Moscow
  • City Day in Moscow, first Saturday of September, an annual celebration marking the birthday of Moscow
  • Borodino Day, first Sunday of September, an annual event in memory of the Battle of Borodino, includes historical re-enactment, in Borodino, Moscow Region
  • Moscow Fashion Week, 24–29 October, an annual fashion event in Moscow
  • The Moscow Biennale, dates vary, a biennial contemporary art festival that started in 2003

Souvenirs and food[]

Typical souvenirs include the Matryoshka doll and other handicraft, samovars for water heating, ushanka and papaha warm hats, and fur clothes among other items. Russian vodka and caviar are among the food that attracts foreigners, along with honey, blini, pelmeni, shchi soup and other products and dishes of Russian cuisine.

Regions and localities associated with specific souvenirs and products[]

  • Caviar: Primorye Territory; Sakhalin; Kamchatka
  • Honey: Bashkortostan; Altai Territory; Krasnodar Territory
  • Pryaniki: Tula; Arkhangelsk; Vyazma, Smolensk Region; Pokrov, Vladimir Region; Gorodets, Nizhny Novgorod Region
  • Chocolate: Moscow; Pokrov, Vladimir Region
  • Amber: Kaliningrad
  • Diamonds: Yakutsk
  • Glass souvenirs: St Petersburg; Moscow; Gus-Khrustalny, Vladimir Region
  • Gems: Nizhny Tagil; Yekaterinburg
  • Beresta (birch bark) souvenirs: Arkhangelsk; Semyonov, Nizhny Novgorod Region
  • Metalwork: Tula; Zhostovo, Ivanovo Region
  • Wooden souvenirs and pottery: Gorodets, Nizhny Novgorod Region; Palekh, Ivanovo Region; Gzhel, Moscow Region; Dymkovo District of Kirov; Filimonovo, Tula Region; Semyonov, Nizhny Novgorod Region
  • Textiles: Ivanovo; Yaroslavl
  • Wool products: Moscow; Pavlovsky Posad, Moscow Region; Orenburg
  • Lace: Vologda; Yelets, Lipetsk Region
  • Valenki and felt products: Yaroslavl; Yelets, Lipetsk Region; Ivanovo
  • Furs: Pyatigorsk; Kazan; Ulyanovsk; Tver
  • Wristwatches and clocks: Moscow; Chelyabinsk

Transport[]

For security reasons, Russian ticket offices sell tickets for trains, airplanes and coaches only if you show your passport.[13]

Railways[]

Sapsan train

The state-owned company Russian Railways (abbreviated as РЖД) operates most of rail services across the country and is crucial for the rail transport in Russia. High-speed rail services are available between Moscow and St Petersburg, between Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod, and between St Petersburg and Helsinki (Finland). European Russia and the Russian Far East are connected by rail via the Trans-Siberian Railway. A train trip from Moscow to Vladivostok takes 6 days.[14] Russia uses the 1,524mm (5ft) track gauge, which is also shared by all the former Soviet republics (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan), Mongolia, and is practically identical with the rail gauge of Finland. Trains crossing the border between Russia (Belarus, Ukraine) and EU member states (except the Baltic states and Finland) or between Russia and China, stop at special crossing points where each carriage is lifted for its bogies to be changed. Trains remain at crossing points for up to 2 hours.[15]

Sea and river transport[]

Boats on Griboyedov Canal in St Petersburg

Russia's major sea ports Category:Port cities and towns in Russia include St Petersburg and Kaliningrad on the Baltic coast; Murmansk and Arkhangelsk on the Arctic coast; Vladivostok, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky on the Pacific coast; Sochi, Novorossiysk, and Sevastopol on the Black Sea coast; Astrakhan on the Caspian coast. In European Russia, many river boat companies offer journeys to cities and towns on the Volga River, its tributaries and connected canals: Moscow (via the Moscow Canal), Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Saratov, Volgograd, Astrakhan. River boats from St Petersburg can travel to Staraya Ladoga and Veliky Novgorod on the Volkhov River, to Ladoga Lake, and to Moscow (via canals).[16]

Air transport[]

Russia's busiest international airports are situated near Moscow, St Petersburg, Volgograd, Kazan, Krasnodar, Sochi, and Vladivostok. For more information see a list of airports in Russia. Moscow and Saint Petersburg are served by direct flights from most European capitals, and Moscow also has direct flights from many cities in East Asia, South Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and North America.[17] Countries that have no direct flights to Russia include Australia,[18] Canada[19] and Ukraine.[20]

Roads[]

Major national thoroughfares are known as federal highways. For more information see Russian federal highways. Most of highways are toll-free, however recently there have opened a few toll roads.[21] Usual roads in smaller Russian cities and in the countryside can be in bad condition.[22] During the cold season (from November till April), when there is permanent snowpack and ice on the roads, winter tyres are mandatory.[23]

Public transport in major cities[]

The letter M at the entrance to a Moscow metro station

Russian cities that have a metro include Moscow, St Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Samara, Yekaterinburg, Kazan.[24] Entrances to metro stations are marked using the letter M which looks the same in the Russian and Roman alphabets. On the Moscow Metro, announcements on trains are made in Russian and English, and direction signs and maps often include English.[25] Apart from buses and trams, trolleybuses are a very common means of overground transport in Russian cities. For more information see the list of trolleybus systems in Russia. Another widely used means of public transport is marshrutkas, or shared taxies. If you are going to visit Moscow and use public transport, see the article about the Troika card (a similar card known as Podorozhnik is used in St Petersburg). Taxi services available in major Russian cities include Yandex, Uber (operated by Yandex.Taxi), and Gett.

Safety[]

Natural disasters[]

Natural hazards of central European Russia include hurricanes, thunderstorms, and spring floods when snowpack accumulated during the winter melts away; south Russia sometimes experiences flash floods. Earthquakes do not occur in Russia except for mountainous areas in the south (the Caucasus Mountains, the Altai Mountains) and the Pacific coast. Forest fires can occur in hot summers, especially in south Siberia.

Dangerous animals[]

Big wild animals such as bears and wolves are common in wooded areas of Siberia and Russia's Far East, they also inhabit some remote thick forests in north-east European Russia; female bears can be especially dangerous when they have cubs, while male bears are especially dangerous if they wake up and roam in wintertime; wolves are dangerous in the winter period. The only poisonous snake in central European Russia is the viper; it mainly inhabits boggy and marshy forests but can occasionally be met in other types of forests, so high boots are advisable for forest trips and hikes. Tick-borne encephalitis is another hazard that is associated with forests and parks in Russia. Animals that are most prone to rabies are stray dogs and cats, wild foxes, wolves, hedgehogs, Raccoon dogs.

Environmental contamination[]

A certain level of radioactive contamination (corresponding to that of central Austria and central Sweden) caused by rains following the Chernobyl disaster is found in some parts of Bryansk Region and Tula Region. High levels of industrial contamination are found in the city of Norilsk and in Chelyabinsk Region and Sverdlovsk Region.

Socio-cultural concerns[]

Public safety[]

Most Russian cities are safe to visit. According to travel advice by the UK government, "most visits to Russia are trouble-free, but petty crime does happen".[26]

Militant groups[]

Most regions of Russia are safe, however travels to some areas in North Caucasus can pose a certain risk, especially parts of Chechnya and Dagestan.

Foreign travel statistics[]

In 2013, 27 million international tourists arrived in Russia, generating US$11.2 billion in international tourism revenue for the country.[27][failed verification] Including domestic and international tourism, the industry directly contributed RUB860 billion to the Russian GDP and supported 966,500 jobs in the country.[28]

This section is transcluded from Visa policy of Russia. ( | )
Visitor statistics

According to the Border Service of the Federal Security Service and the Federal State Statistics Service, most visitors arriving to Russia were from the following countries of nationality:[29][30]

Nationality Total (includes all types of purposes of visits)
2020 2019 2018 2017 2016
 Ukraine Decrease 3,648,972 Decrease 8,646,295 Decrease 9,177,272 Increase 9,817,008 Decrease 9,737,405
 Kazakhstan Decrease 1,426,727 Increase 4,324,856 Increase 4,241,244 Decrease 4,137,613 Decrease 4,686,059
 Uzbekistan Decrease 720,041 Increase 2,588,922 Increase 2,354,642 Increase 2,350,007 Decrease 2,116,480
 Abkhazia Decrease 414,927 Increase 600,399 Increase 492,310 Increase 436,368 Decrease 415,606
 Tajikistan Decrease 401,888 Increase 1,557,148 Decrease 1,340,975 Increase 1,350,356 Increase 1,293,270
 Kyrgyzstan Decrease 299,611 Increase 959,130 Increase 859,735 Increase 836,946 Decrease 792,042
 Azerbaijan Decrease 269,807 Increase 1,175,045 Increase 1,145,327 Decrease 1,143,243 Increase 1,156,703
 Armenia Decrease 209,812 Decrease 816,454 Decrease 825,200 Increase 857,212 Decrease 833,577
 Finland Decrease 180,110 Decrease 938,693 Decrease 994,098 Decrease 1,063,348 Decrease 1,376,646
 Belarus Decrease 176,601 Increase 440,438 Increase 403,597 Increase 382,022 Decrease 320,372
 China Decrease 155,594 Increase 2,257,039 Increase 2,030,319 Increase 1,780,200 Increase 1,565,524
 Moldova Decrease 154,766 Decrease 614,043 Decrease 698,027 Increase 803,916 Decrease 699,112
 Philippines Decrease 133,414 Increase 193,031 Increase 179,672 Increase 172,278 Decrease 160,734
 Poland Decrease 133,014 Decrease 680,382 Decrease 728,546 Decrease 765,544 Decrease 1,056,013
 Turkey Decrease 132,372 Decrease 187,612 Increase 196,061 Increase 181,285 Decrease 120,035
 Estonia Decrease 105,584 Increase 540,062 Increase 496,582 Decrease 432,803 Increase 433,926
 Latvia Decrease 93,865 Increase 365,783 Increase 355,641 Decrease 330,266 Increase 360,603
Stateless persons Decrease 74,215 Decrease 303,851 Increase 327,613 Decrease 318,393 Decrease 321,383
 South Ossetia Decrease 70,470 Increase 147,355 Increase 143,501 Increase 137,427 Decrease 115,382
 Germany Decrease 69,456 Increase 744,473 Increase 701,576 Increase 629,082 Increase 613,370
 Lithuania Decrease 57,883 Increase 253,950 Decrease 243,190 Decrease 256,009 Increase 281,168
 Mongolia Decrease 56,625 Decrease 394,994 Decrease 401,485 Decrease 416,293 Increase 542,196
 Georgia Decrease 56,266 Decrease 120,086 Increase 123,732 Increase 117,204 Decrease 65,378
 India Decrease 46,025 Increase 180,567 Increase 159,865 Increase 130,400 Increase 108,498
 South Korea Decrease 42,297 Increase 453,796 Increase 386,413 Increase 276,560 Increase 181,024
 France Decrease 38,391 Increase 249,410 Increase 236,583 Increase 211,673 Increase 201,260
 Israel Decrease 32,402 Increase 260,472 Increase 228,530 Increase 185,426 Increase 182,438
 Italy Decrease 28,432 Increase 251,751 Increase 225,776 Decrease 206,860 Increase 208,689
 Serbia Decrease 26,731 Decrease 84,852 Increase 96,730 Increase 87,899 Increase 79,575
 United Kingdom Decrease 22,471 Decrease 194,956 Increase 216,029 Increase 193,522 Decrease 190,278
 Turkmenistan Decrease 21,680 Increase 92,616 Increase 82,675 Increase 65,749 Increase 56,258
 Vietnam Decrease 19,477 Increase 90,565 Increase 84,612 Increase 77,391 Increase 66,939
 United States Decrease 19,306 Decrease 300,933 Increase 337,395 Increase 293,011 Increase 248,990
 Japan Decrease 16,048 Increase 127,696 Increase 119,240 Increase 114,207 Increase 95,675
 Netherlands Decrease 14,663 Increase 84,651 Increase 80,540 Increase 73,729 Increase 68,017
 Egypt Decrease 13,481 Decrease 28,039 Increase 39,402
 Iran Decrease 12,725 Decrease 54,469 Decrease 61,007 Increase 91,862 Increase 75,203
 Thailand Decrease 12,183 Increase 72,031 Increase 64,898 Increase 52,697 Increase 32,222
 Greece Decrease 11,732 Increase 44,784 Increase 42,967 Decrease 41,205 Increase 46,730
 Bulgaria Decrease 10,255 Increase 41,083 Increase 40,836 Decrease 39,191 Increase 41,290
 Austria Decrease 9,977 Increase 67,429 Increase 64,500 Increase 59,501 Decrease 56,663
 Czech Republic Decrease 9,874 Increase 57,835 Increase 53,739 Increase 49,232 Increase 47,288
 Indonesia Decrease 9,671 Increase 40,284 Increase 31,695 Increase 25,425 Increase 20,211
 Spain Decrease 9,565 Increase 140,181 Increase 123,652 Increase 118,642 Increase 116,032
 Romania Decrease 9,335 Increase 32,779 Increase 29,920 Increase 26,330 Decrease 23,684
 Norway Decrease 8,506 Increase 52,022 Decrease 51,003 Increase 53,197 Decrease 46,631
 Sweden Decrease 8,308 Decrease 43,198 Increase 55,329 Decrease 32,095 Decrease 39,153
 Belgium Decrease 7,534 Decrease 42,473 Increase 48,270 Increase 38,868 Increase 37,492
 Croatia Decrease 7,480 Decrease 19,243 Increase 36,045
 Switzerland Decrease 7,407 Decrease 55,747 Increase 59,828 Increase 53,167 Increase 52,656
 Cuba Decrease 6,631 Increase 29,169 Decrease 27,882 Increase 30,711 Increase 26,667
 Hungary Decrease 5,680 Increase 35,541 Increase 32,998 Increase 25,659 Increase 25,313
 Denmark Decrease 5,016 24,662 Increase 31,308
Total Decrease n/a Increase 32,866,265 Increase32,550,677 Increase32,035,443 Decrease 31,466,538
Visa statistics

Most visas were issued in the following countries:[31][32]

Location Number of visas issued in
2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015
 Germany 58,953 410,780 360,582 336,423 324,959 299,791
 China 41,280 453,338 406,831 371,489 339,030 357,040
 Turkey 34,162 83,169 81,177 79,898 45,209 33,698
 France 27,059 172,870 146,491 145,576 131,229 119,314
 United Kingdom 20,770 92,573 88,290 96,246 93,169 87,863
 Italy 18,272 162,529 139,797 129,124 129,038 117,123
 United States 16,736 106,250 98,936 95,630 94,682 85,974
 Finland 14,271 110,480 105,157 108,792 116,462 112,655
 Latvia 11,295 78,727 79,082 74,382 77,574 70,328
 Poland 10,535 67,666 62,840 59,187 54,885 43,038
Total 452 161 3,090,538 2,758,893 2,687,146 2,505,457 2,283,850


See also[]

References[]

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  31. ^ Количество выданных виз всего
  32. ^ Количество выданных виз по странам

External links[]

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