Visa-free agreement to take effect March 30

IMPACT – MEDIUM

What is the change? A visa-free travel agreement between South Africa and Russia will take effect March 30.

What does the change mean? South African and Russian nationals will be able to travel to each other’s countries for up to 90 days for business and tourism.

• Implementation time frame:  March 30.
• Who is affected: South African and Russian nationals traveling to each other’s countries.
• Impact on processing times: The change will save travelers the time it takes to get a visa.
• Business impact: Business travelers in both countries will benefit from the change.

Background: The visa-free arrangement will take effect March 30 after the deal was finalized recently with an exchange of official documents, according to a statement on the Russian Embassy’s website. The statement says the visa-free program is open to travelers “without the intention of working, studying or living in the other country’s territory” for up to 90 days.

BAL Analysis: The arrangement will ease travel procedures for South African and Russian nationals traveling to each other’s countries beginning March 30.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group. For additional information, please contact your BAL attorney.

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