Russia's State Duma lower parliament house passed in the second reading a bill on visa-free entry to Russia for holders of Fan IDs they used to attend matches of the 2018 FIFA World Cup till the end of the current year.
"The bill was prepared on the basis of a positive experience of the organization of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, according to the explanatory note to the bill. It is geared to extend visa-free entry till December 31, 2018 for those who visited football matches in Russia and have Fan IDs," TASS recalls.
Russia hosted the FIFA World Cup from June 14 through July 15, 2018. Holders of Fan ID’s who had tickets to the tournament’s matches needed no visa to enter Russia. After the championship, Russian President Vladimir Putin came out with an initiative to grant foreign holders of Fan IDs multiple visa-free entry to Russia till the yearend. A corresponding bill was submitted to the State Duma on July 17 by the leaders of the four factions.
