Russia to introduce special tourist cards for citizens of Uzbekistan, enabling payments via 'Mir' system

Russia plans to introduce a tourist card that will allow visiting citizens of Uzbekistan to make payments, TASS reports with reference to Sangadji Tarbaev, the head of the State Duma Committee on Tourism.

During a presentation of tourism potential at the republic's pavilion at VDNKh, the deputy noted that Uzbeks make up the largest group of incoming visitors to Russia. Payment for goods and services plays a crucial role in the interaction between the two countries, he added.

The "Mir" payment system used by Russian issuers does not operate in Uzbekistan "due to international reasons." Both sides are working on creating opportunities for cashless payments.

“With the help of experts from the Ministry of Economic Development and the Ministry of Finance, a so-called tourist card is being developed. This will allow tourists from Uzbekistan to make payments in Russia using virtual accounts based on the ‘Mir’ system,” Tarbaev said.

In September 2022, Uzcard temporarily suspended work with NSPK (the operator of the "Mir" system) under the pretext of technical maintenance, although an exception was made for co-branded cards. At that time, several banks in other countries also stopped accepting "Mir" cards.

This happened after the U.S. imposed personal sanctions against Vladimir Komlev, the CEO of NSPK. American authorities warned foreign banks about the risks of using the "Mir" system to circumvent sanctions, which could lead to secondary sanctions.

Since February of this year, NSPK itself has been under U.S. sanctions. In April, Kyrgyzstan's payment system "Elcart" stopped accepting "Mir" cards, but officials have promised to find a solution to resume their use.