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Russian Visa Requirements

Tourist Visa

Russian Tourist visas are issued for a period of up to 30 days. They can be single entry or double entry. To order a visa, you must submit in person or send in the following documents to a Russian Consulate in your country (any Russian Consulate can be used in the US regardless of where you live in the US). You may also apply for a Russia visa  through a third party acting on your behalf:

A cover letter with the following information:

• Applicant's name as it appears on their passport;
• Dates of arrival and departure in and from Russia;
• A list of up to 6 cities that will be visited in Russia;
• Index and reference number of the receiving organization.

A Russian tourist visa invitation and voucher, from an inviting organization registered with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a voucher from your or travel agency in Russia. The confirmation must contain the agency's reference number and registration number.

• Your original passport with at least 2 clean, side by side pages to attach the visa to. The passport must be valid for up to 6 months AFTER you planned departure from Russia.
• 2 signed and dated Visa Application Forms (click to download form for US Citizens, click here to download form for non-US citizens. The forms require Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can download this free if you do not have it installed on your computer.
• 3 identical passport size (on white background) photos. Please, write your name on the back of the photos.
• Your payment by money order or cashier's check made out to the Russian Consulate in accordance with your local Consulate's fees (see Consulates Website or call them). Do not send cash or personal checks.
• Pre-paid self-addressed return envelope from a reliable delivery company (FED EX, DHL, UPS).

Business Visa

Single-entry and double-entry Russian Business Visas are issued for no longer than 90 days. Multiple entry business visas are issued for a period of either 6 or 12 months and must be approved by either the Interior Ministry of the Russian Federation or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs:

• A letter of invitation from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs or its Regional Representative Offices, or from the Ministry of the Interior or its local offices including a travel itinerary, the dates of stay, full names and dates of birth of the persons invited, workplace of the person invited.
• Your original passport with at least 2 clean, side by side pages to attach the visa to. The passport must be valid for up to 6 months AFTER you planned departure from Russia.
• 2 signed and dated Visa Application Forms (click to download form for US Citizens, click here to download form for non-US citizens. The forms require Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can download this free if you do not have it installed on your computer. 3 identical passport size (on white background) photos. Please, write your name on the back of the photos.
• Your payment by money order or cashier's check made out to the Russian Consulate in accordance with your local Consulate's fees (see Consulates Website or call them). Do not send cash or personal checks.
• Pre-paid self-addressed return envelope from a reliable delivery company (FED EX, DHL, UPS).
• HIV test results. An HIV test is usually required to receive a business visa.

Private Visa

Private Visa is issued for no longer than 90 days and is valid for single entry only. For a Private visa to Russia, please submit:

• The original invitation called "Izveschenie" (notification) which can be obtained by any Russian citizen from a local OVIR (Russian Immigration Service) Office.
• Your original passport with at least 2 clean, side by side pages to attach the visa to. The passport must be valid for up to 6 months AFTER you planned departure from Russia.
• 2 signed and dated Visa Application Forms (click to download form for US Citizens, click here to download form for non-US citizens. The forms require Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can download this free if you do not have it installed on your computer. 3 identical passport size (on white background) photos. Please, write your name on the back of the photos.
• Your payment by money order or cashier's check made out to the Russian Consulate in accordance with your local Consulate's fees (see Consulates Website or call them). Do not send cash or personal checks.
• Pre-paid self-addressed return envelope from a reliable delivery company (FED EX, DHL, UPS).

Transit Visa

Transit Visa permits to travel through the Russian territory without stay.

In accordance to your tickets, it is issued for up to 72 hours, if you travel by air, or for up to 10 days, if using other means of transportation. For a Transit Visa, please, submit:

• The visa of the country of destination and a copy of the air, railway or other ticket with "OK" status (required).
• Your original passport with at least 2 clean, side by side pages to attach the visa to. The passport must be valid for up to 6 months AFTER you planned departure from Russia.
• 2 signed and dated Visa Application Forms (click to download form for US Citizens, click here to download form for non-US citizens. The forms require Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can download this free if you do not have it installed on your computer. 3 identical passport size (on white background) photos. Please, write your name on the back of the photos.
• Your payment by money order or cashier's check made out to the Russian Consulate in accordance with your local Consulate's fees (see Consulates Website or call them). Do not send cash or personal checks.
• Pre-paid self-addressed return envelope from a reliable delivery company (FED EX, DHL, UPS).

Student Visa

For a Russian Student Visa, please, submit:

• A letter of Invitation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or its Regional Office (if the Region you are going to study in does not have Regional Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the invitation is issued by the University, Institute or College on its official letterhead signed by the rector and certified either by the Office for International Affairs of the local administration or by the local office of the Ministry of Interior).
• Your current diploma or educational certificate, certified by the State or Federal authorities
• General health certificate on your current health condition (must be certified by Apostil at the local office of the Secretary of your State and translated into Russian, then certified by the Consulate)
• A copy of HIV test certificate (must be certified by Apostil at the local office of the Secretary of your State and translated into Russian, then certified by the Consulate)
• A confirmation of the payment arrangement directly from the University, Institute or College you are going to study at.
• Your original passport with at least 2 clean, side by side pages to attach the visa to. The passport must be valid for up to 6 months AFTER you planned departure from Russia.
• 2 signed and dated Visa Application Forms (click to download form for US Citizens, click here to download form for non-US citizens. The forms require Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can download this free if you do not have it installed on your computer. 3 identical passport size (on white background) photos. Please, write your name on the back of the photos.
• Your payment by money order or cashier's check made out to the Russian Consulate in accordance with your local Consulate's fees (see Consulates Website or call them). Do not send cash or personal checks.
• Pre-paid self-addressed return envelope from a reliable delivery company (FED EX, DHL, UPS).

Applying for a Visa

You can apply for your visa personally or through the mail using a reliable, overnight mail service such as DHL, FED EX or UPS. Please make sure to have all of the above documents handy. To receive a Russian visa invitation and voucher, you will have to contact a travel agency that is recognized my the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, RussianConsulate.org currently is working through Express to Russia. Click here to contact them.

Important Notice

Russian visas are issued at the discretion of the Russian Consulate. In rare cases, visas may be refused. The Russian Consulate reserves the right to invite the applicant in for an interview and to review the visa applications for longer periods than the fee schedule suggests (although this rarely happens). The Consulate fee is non refundable whether the applicant receives a visa or not.

In accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation as of February 10, 2003 Migration Card (part A and B) must be completed by all foreign Citizens in Russian/English language in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS.

The Card is to be presented to the Russian Border Control officer along with a national passport and travel documents. The Migration Card can be obtained aboard a plane, on a train or at a Border Control Office.

Please be advised, that you must register yourself in a local office of the Ministry of the Interior within three working days of arrival at the hotel or other organization rendering hotel services (this rule is applied to all foreign Citizens except those arriving at the invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs). It is not necessary to register if the visa is for two to three days only. (Central Moscow Registration Chamber Tel: 202 2963). Negligence can result in penalties and fines.

Registration outside the territory of the Russian Federation is illegal and may entail serious consequences and penalties.

Please keep part B of the Migration Card along with your passport until the departure passport control procedure.

Important! Please be advised that one can not have two valid visas in one passport; in this case the first visa will be cancelled.

Additional Information

On the basis of reciprocity, German citizens may apply for Visa to Russia at the Russian Consular Missions in the US only if they have a US Permanent Resident or US Resident Alien status (green card). In all other cases they have to apply for Russian Visa at the Russian Consular Missions in Germany.

Citizens of Israel, Finland and Shengen Agreement States (Austria, Belgium, Germany, Greece, Spain, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal and France) should submit national medical coverage certificate valid for Russia or guarantee of medical coverage from a Russian hosting organization for all period of stay.

Citizens of Estonia must submit to the Russian Consulate medical insurance certificate valid for Russia and covering all period of stay.

Applicants who used to be citizens of the USSR or of the Russian Federation and then emigrated from the USSR or from Russia must submit one of the documents which confirms that they are no longer citizens of the Russian Federation (so called "Visa to Israel" or stamp in their passport saying that they left for "permanent residence abroad" before the 6th of February, 1992 or official document certifying that their Russian citizenship was abrogated), otherwise the applications will not be accepted.

The Russian Consulate reserves the right to call the applicants for an interview and ask questions on personal, financial, business, corporate related issues as well as on applicant's Russian contacts and relatives.

After receiving your Russia visa please check all the details carefully to make sure your personal data is correct