No visa required for travel to Russia and Indonesia

Mauritian citizens travelling to Russia and Indonesia for short stays will henceforth be exempted from visa requirements. These developments are extremely useful to develop economic exchanges and strengthen our diplomatic ties with both countries. This statement was made on Tuesday 12 April by the minister of foreign affairs, Vishnu Lutchmeenaraidoo, following the coming into force of the visa exemption agreements for short stays for Mauritian citizens travelling to Russia and Indonesia. It is to be recalled that an agreement was reached between the government of Mauritius and the Russian government on 23 December 2015 on mutual abolition of visa and came into force on 10 April 2016. The agreement provides for visa exemption for citizens travelling the two countries for a maximum period of 60 days. Mauritians who are holders of ordinary passports or diplomatic passports are thus exempted of visa while travelling to Russia. Likewise, Russian citizens who hold diplomatic, service and ordinary passports are exempted from visa when travelling to Mauritius. The total authorised stay for those people concerned should not exceed 90 days for each period of 180 days. However, Mauritian and Russian citizens who undertake trips for job reasons, training in educational institutions or for residential purposes are required to obtain the necessary visas according to the laws of the country. As regards to Indonesia, the visa waiver is in force since March 10, according to a presidential decree of the Republic of Indonesia signed on March 2, 2016. The decree is a unilateral measure taken by the Indonesian authorities regarding the abolition of visas for 169 countries, including Mauritius.