Gosuslugi Connects to Russia’s Electronic Travel Voucher System: What It Means for Travelers
Travelers will be able to receive notifications through the Gosuslugi (Public Services) portal when they sign a contract with a tour operator or travel agent. The new mechanism gives citizens access to the industry's information system and allows them to check the details it contains.
Starting October 30, 2026, travelers will be able to view some of the information tour operators submit to the Unified Information System for Electronic Travel Vouchers (EIS EP) through their personal accounts on the Gosuslugi portal. To use the service, individuals must be registered with Russia's Unified System of Identification and Authentication (ESIA), which provides access to the portal.
Once a traveler signs a contract with a travel agent or tour operator, they will receive a corresponding notification. The same applies if the contract is amended. The information is transferred automatically from EIS EP, where travel companies are required to report details of the packages they sell, including the trip price, hotel, flight and included services.
Until now, the electronic travel voucher had effectively been an internal industry document. Travelers could retrieve the information themselves, but only by registering on the separate EIS EP platform. Now, customers can easily check whether their contract details have been entered into the government system and compare the document issued by their tour operator with the information stored in the electronic database.
The new mechanism is expected to make tour operators more accountable. For example, travelers can submit an extract obtained through the government services portal as evidence in court if a legal dispute arises. Notifications are optional, however, and users can disable them at any time in their personal accounts.
Toward a Unified Digital Platform for the Travel Industry
EIS EP is still being developed. According to industry participants, about 22% of tour operators currently submit data to the system. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Economic Development is already planning its next stage of transformation: EIS EP is expected to serve as the foundation for a unified digital platform for the entire travel industry. The plan is to bring together various government resources and registries within a single digital environment. A shared database would consolidate information on hotels, tour operators, travel agents, tour guides and a range of other industry participants.
Travelers are also expected to be able to use the Gosuslugi portal not merely to access information, but as a full-fledged one-stop shop for the entire range of travel services. The proposal is currently under discussion and could be adopted in March 2027.
How the Electronic Travel Voucher System Evolved
The push to create a government digital platform for the travel industry dates back to 2012, when tour operator Lanta-Tour collapsed. In response, the Russian government decided to establish a mechanism for monitoring the sale of travel products.
The first pilot project was launched in 2018 in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Krasnodar Krai. Starting September 1, 2022, tour operators specializing in outbound travel were required to submit data to EIS EP. Two years later, the requirement was extended to companies operating in Russia's domestic tourism market.
In 2025, the Ministry of Economic Development considered scrapping mandatory data reporting for the domestic travel market. At the same time, discussions turned to expanding the system's capabilities, including the active use of artificial intelligence to personalize travel offers.
Booking a Trip Through Gosuslugi
Integrating EIS EP data into the Gosuslugi ecosystem makes contractual relationships between travelers and tour operators more transparent. The new mechanism also makes companies more accountable for the accuracy of the information they submit to the system. Travelers should keep in mind, however, that the information in their personal accounts can serve as an additional safeguard, but does not replace the contract or proof of payment.
As the government continues to improve the system, travelers may eventually no longer need to search for vacation packages across multiple websites or visit a travel agency in person. Based on the user's preferences, an AI system could select a suitable trip, which could then be purchased directly through the traveler's Gosuslugi account.
