Russia deports Vietnamese travelers for misuse of Euro fan passport

By Hong Hanh June 20, 2021 | 10:48 pm PT

Russian football fans watching a Euro match between Russia and Finland at a park in Moscow on June 16, 2021. Photo by Reuters.

Many Vietnamese travelers who entered Russia on FAN IDs allowing visa-free entry to watch Euro 2020 football matches have been deported for misusing the document.

"Many Vietnamese citizens have been deported or denied entry for using FAN IDs for the wrong purposes or failing to prove that they had traveled to Russia to watch the Euro tournament," Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Sunday.

It did not specify the number of people deported or denied entry; nor did it explain what the "wrong purposes" were.

The ministry urged Vietnamese citizens traveling to Russia on FAN IDs to use the document on the right purpose and obey the host country's safety regulations to avoid legal problems or being stuck at foreign airports amid the complicated developments of the Covid-19 pandemic.

A FAN ID, known as the fan passport, is a mandatory document for all spectators of the European Football Championship UEFA EURO 2020 matches being held in Saint Petersburg. The document enables foreign ticket holders to enter the country from May 29 to July 2 without a visa to attend the tournament.

However, foreign fans traveling to the country for the tournament will still need to comply with safety regulations and test negative for Covid-19 before arrival.

The European Football Championship had been postponed from 2020 to 2021 because of the Covid-19 pandemic. This year the tournament is taking place from June 11 to July 11. Russia’s Saint Petersburg will host seven championship matches, including the quarter-final, which will take place on July 2.