Russia has introduced a new scheme that will allow football fans to enter the country for the 2018 World Cup without a visa.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law regarding the visa-free system for football fans visiting the country for the 2018 World Cup. According to ESPN FC, fans who have tickets and have been issued a ‘fan ID’ by the Russian government will be allowed to enter the country sans visa. The visa-free system is only eligible for the dates surrounding the tournament.
The Embassy of the Russian Federation in Washington DC in the United States has also issued a statement regarding the matter. In the statement, travelers are only required to present both have their ‘fan ID’ and valid passport.
The FIFA 2018 World Cup will be held on 2018 June 14-July 15 in the cities of Moscow, St Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan, Ekaterinburg, Kaliningrad, Nizhny Novgorod, Rostov-on-Don, Samara, Saransk, and Volgograd.
Below is the complete statement from the Russian Embassy:
FIFA Confederations Cup 2017 and the FIFA World Cup 2018 visa information
In accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation, entry (exit) of foreign citizens and stateless persons arriving in Russia as spectators for sports events within the framework of the FIFA Confederations Cup 2017 (will be held from June 17 to July 2, 2017 in the cities of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan) and the FIFA 2018 World Cup (will be held from June 14 to July 15, 2018 in the cities of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan, Ekaterinburg, Kaliningrad, Nizhny Novgorod, Rostov-on-Don, Samara, Saransk, Volgograd), is carried out without issued Russian visas.
However, in order to be admitted to Russia foreign citizens/stateless persons must have a valid identity document (“tourist” passport) and a “Personalized card of the spectator” (also known as a “Fan ID”).
Information on the procedure for obtaining a Fan ID can be found on the websites of the organizers of the above sports events at: www.fan-id.ru and www.welcome2018.com.
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