Applicants will have their fingerprints and digital photos taken, a process expected to take around five minutes.
The Russian Travel Industry Union warned that despite the simplicity of the procedure, the measure could cut the number of Russian tourists traveling to the U.K. by around 30-40%.
"British visa centers are only in three Russian cities: Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Yekaterinburg [in the Urals]. Regional tourists will have to first fly to a visa center, which can be quite expensive," press secretary Irina Tyurina said.
British Ambassador to Russia Tony Brenton said earlier that the measure would improve identity protection, and counter visa falsification. The biometric data will be stored in a British database for 10 years.
Current visa holders will not be required to go through the new system before the expiry of their visas.
