RUSSIAN VISA GUIDE - OVERVIEW

Unless you're one of those lucky few citizens of these former USSR countries: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldavia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, or Uzbekistan, you're required to obtain a visa to travel to Russia. A valid travel visa [How to read your visa?] is a special, colorful sticker in your passport and guarantees you a safe passage into and exit out of our country.

Also, according to Russian law cruise passengers stopping at St.Petersburg port for less than 72 hours do not require Russian visa, but only if they stay on board of a ship and/or travel to the city with tour provided by a cruise line. If a cruise passenger wants to visit the city individually, the regular tourist visa is required. Always check with cruise line.

- How to Read a Russian Visa?
- Types of Russian Visa?
- How & Where to Get Visa to Russia?
- Russian Visa Processing Time & Costs?
- What is an invitation/visa support letter?
- What is and how to use migration cards?
- How to Register Russian Visa?		 In getting your Russian visa, you may have already heard or are about to hear terms such as Russian visa support, invitation, or sponsorship document, Russian visa entry/exit requirements, migration cards, registration stamp, Russian consulates or abbreviations such as OVIR, PVU, MFA. Don't worry if you do not understand their meaning. In our complete Russian Visa guide, will demystify these terms and familiarize you with Russian visa process from start to finish. We truly think that educating yourself about Russian visas on our website will be handy experience.

How to Read a Russian Visa [How it looks]?

We do believe that getting understanding of how to read your Russian Visa is the first important step-stone. Please, take a minute to familiarize yourself with all the information which will appear on your Russian visa very carefully, as neither the Russian Consulate nor your travel agent will be responsible for any mistakes in the visa, unless they are brought to the consular attention before your departure.

You should place special attention to the number of entries and date of validity fields, as this information is very important for entering/exiting Russia:

Small picture/banner Study/Read your Visa [Zoom In, Opens in new window] – Appendix A

What are Types of Russian Visa?

If you want to be precise, there are 11 different Russian visa types: (1) Diplomatic visa, (2) Guest/Private Visit visa, (3) Tourism visa, (4) Work visa, (5) Business/Commercial Visit visa, (6) Student/Education visa, (7) Government Business visa, (8) Humanitarian visa, (9) Transit visa (valid up to 72 hours), (10) Temporary Stay visa, and (11) Refugee visa. Each visa type corresponds to the stated purpose of your visit. [more in Types of Russian Visas and Invitations section]

Fortunately enough, more than 75% of all issued visas, fall under two major visa categories:

Important Notice:

If you go to Russia to adopt a baby, Russian court proceedings require you to APPLY and OBTAIN a Russian Business Visa,

As a rule of thumb, you usually make two trips to Russia (complete and file paperwork with the court and return in few months to take a baby). Therefore, you should GET a Russian Business Visa, which is valid for at least 3 months and allows you to enter and leave Russia twice.

Tourist Visa is your first pick for short, up to 30 day, one-time visits to Russia. Unfortunately, you will need a Business or other type of visa, if you intend to stay beyond 30 days.

According to Russian bureaucracy tourist visa can be obtained with an official invitation/sponsorship/support letter [What is it?] from a hotel or a travel agency, registered with the Department of Consular Service at Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (abbreviated as MFA). The same law says it is illegal for a qualified travel agency or a hotel to provide you with an invitation if are not going to stay in a hotel. Luckily, this word of law is broken more often than followed because virtually all travel agencies can get you a visa sponsorship document and later register your Russian visa without you booking a single night in a hotel Same holds true for hotels, they will register your visa not just for the nights you stay with them, but for your entire trip. Just don't forget to ask! [more in Types of Russian Visas and Invitations section]

Business Visa provides you with much more flexibility: multiple entries to and out of Russia, validity for up to an entire year. Business visa is ideal for tourist, who are traveling in Russia for prolonged times, visiting friends, don't need a hotel. Also, this type is a must for adoption traveler.

Officially, business visas are intended for business travelers, who travel to conduct business transactions (e.g. negotiations, contracts, exhibitions, etc.). But again, it is merely exception than a rule - you do not need to travel on an official company's business since the same qualified travel agencies can arrange visa invitation. You do not need to plan a hotel reservations or your itinerary, either. Please be aware that business visa does not imply an employment permit. You need to seek Work visa for employment purposes. [more in Types of Russian Visas and Invitations section]

How & Where to Get Visa to Russia?

Normally, you should apply for a visa at a Russian consulate at the country you reside. If you're currently traveling in a foreign country, you can apply at Russian consulate in that country in most cases. You need to submit to a Russian consulate various documents, depending on the time and type of visa you want:

As you see, it is possible to arrange your own Russian visa. In practice, however, most travelers choose to hire a professional visa travel agency to do the groundwork. For an extra $30-$70, agencies will prepare, proofread, and submit your paperwork to a consulate on your behalf and mail your passport along with Russian visa back. Some firms even take care of registering the visa when you arrive in Russia [Read more in How to Register your Russian Visa]. Given that each Russian consulate has different tastes and temperaments in interpreting visa processing requirements, it's usually worth to have somebody who knows the ropes of dealing with bureaucrats.

The only problem with hiring somebody to handle your visa is figuring out who to hire. Amid hundreds of honest agencies there are plenty scammers who seem to vanish as soon as you give them your personal information. Yet, that shouldn't stop you from seeking a professional visa agency, just use healthy dose of precautions.

What are Russian Visa Processing Times & Fees?

Visa Processing Times: By now, you've noticed that you cannot apply for a visa unless you have your visa invitation ready. Therefore, you should allocate enough time to secure a visa support letter. It may range anywhere from 1 hour for tourist invitation to 18 business days for business supports to 60 days for private invitations. You can read more about Visa Support/Invitation fees and processing times in [Visa Invitations section]

Once you have a letter of invitation, you can mail the invitation along other paperwork to Russian consulate or a certified visa agency. According to Russian law, visa should be issued in now longer than 20 business (excludes weekends and national holidays) days. Fortunately, most consulates issue visas from 1 to 14 days (depends on how much you pay). It is good to remember that if you apply for visa via mail, you should allot at least 2 more business days: (1) Shipping overnight from your house to the consulate and (2) Shipping paperwork from the consulate back to you.

Important Notice:

Please refrain from sending your paperwork to the consulate or visa agency more than 45 days before your intended departure date for BUSINESS TYPE VISAS and 90 or more days for all other TYPES. Consulates do not process such advanced orders – they will return your package and ask to submit it at a later date.

Russian visa processing times and fees vary from country to country. Processing fees are the highest in the U.S. because U.S. government has the highest fees for Russian citizens applying for U.S. visas. As a result, Russia government imposes the same fees for U.S. citizens applying for Russian visas. Such diplomatic politics when one country puts the same traveling barriers, fees, and procedures for citizens of two countries are referred as reciprocity laws.

Unfortunately, Russia follows such policies religiously. Therefore, you may have to pay more or less for your Russian visa depending on your citizenship and location where you apply for your Russian visa. For example, if you are Australian citizen applying for Russian tourist visa in United Kingdom, you'll pay standard consulate fee £30 (for 7 day processing) and additional £18 surcharge due to reciprocity laws between Russia and Australian governments. [Find nearest consulate and its fees]

Russian government mandates all of its consulates and embassies to issue Russian visas in no more than 20 business days. Therefore, each consulate has a leeway of how quickly to issue visas as long as they do not violate the 20 day limit. Once again, it varies country by country. [Find the nearest consulate and its processing fees]

Here, we provide with Russian visa fees and processing for 5 countries whose citizens visit Russia most often. All fees and times are given for the citizens applying at Russian consulate in their home country. For example, U.S. citizens apply at Russian consulate in the U.S. and so forth.

Russian Visa Processing Times & Fees for Selected Countries:

Visa Type (# of entries)
Processing time (business days)
(starts on the next business after submission of paperwork to the consulate)
Fee

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (USA)
Washington – New York – San Francisco – Seattle - Houston
Single
No less than 6 days
$100
No less than 3 days
$150
Next day processing
$200
Same day processing
$300
Double
No less than 6 days
$100
No less than 3 days
$200
Next day processing
$250
Same day processing
$350
Multiple
No less than 6 days
$100
No less than 3 days
$300
Next day processing
$350
Same day processing
$450

CANADA (CN)
Ottawa - Montreal - Toronto

Single
14 days (calendar days)
$75CAN
7 days
$150CAN
3 days
$180CAN
Next day
$210CAN
Same day
$300CAN
Double
Same fees as for single-entry plus (14 days = $75+$25=$100)
Extra $25CAN
Multiple
14 days (calendar days)
$200CAN
7 days
$275CAN
3 days
$305CAN
Next day
$335CAN
Same day
$425CAN

UNITED KINGDOM (UK)
London – Edinburgh
Single
No less than 8 days (received by post)
£30
No less than 7 days
£30
Next day processing
£80
Same day processing (received between 9.00AM – 12.00noon)
£90
Same day processing (received between 3.00 PM – 4.00PM)
£120
Double
Additional £10 applies for double-entry visas
Multiple
No less than 8 days (received by post)
£100
No less than 7 days
£100
Next day processing
£130
Same day processing (received between 9.00AM – 12.00noon)
£150
Same day processing (received between 3.00 PM – 4.00PM)
n/a

GERMANY (DE)
Berlin – Bona – Hamburg – Leipzig – Munich
Single
No less than 15 days (Tourist/ All Other Types)
35/ 40 EUR
No less than 7 days (Tourist/ All Other Types)
45/ 65 EUR
No less than 2 days (Tourist/ All Other Types)
60/ 90 EUR
Next day processing (Tourist/ All Other Types)
100/ 130 EUR
Same day processing (3 hours processing) (Tourist/ All Other Types)
120/ 155 EUR
Double
No less than 15 days (Tourist/ All Other Types)
65/ 80 EUR
No less than 7 days (Tourist/ All Other Types)
75/ 90 EUR
No less than 2 days (Tourist/ All Other Types)
100/ 130 EUR
Next day processing (Tourist/ All Other Types)
130/ 160 EUR
Same day processing (3 hours processing) (Tourist/ All Other Types)
155/ 205 EUR
Multiple
Differs for 3, 6, and 12 months visas
No less than 15 days (3/6/12months)
100/ 140/ 255 EUR
No less than 7 days (3/6/12months)
110/ 155/ 270 EUR
No less than 2 days (3/6/12months)
145/ 170/ 290 EUR
Next day processing (3/6/12months)
180/ 200/ 300 EUR
Same day processing (3 hours processing) (3/6/12months)
200/ 215/ 340 EUR

FRANCE (FR)
Paris – Monaco & Marseille – Strasburg
Single
No less than 7 days
54 EUR
No less than 3 days (Tourist only)
82 EUR
Double
Consulates websites do not specify additional times or fees for double entry visas.
Multiple
No less than 7 days
153 EUR

You find out more about Russian visa Processing Fees and Times Requirements in other countries at our Russian Consulate Finder section.

What is an Invitation/ Visa Support Letter? How to get it?

If you visited a Russian consular website, you noticed that they were requiring tourist voucher and reservation confirmation for visa processing. In this section, we will try to explain what tourist voucher and confirmation, sometimes referred to as letter of invitation, is; how and where to obtain it, and how much it will cost.

Each type of visa has a corresponding invitation type: Tourist VISA calls for tourist invitation, Business VISA – for business one, private – for private, and so forth. The invitation, visa support, travel voucher, travel confirmation, or any other name it might be called is a standardized document issued by the part which invites you to Russia. This is a mandatory document to get your visa processed!

Russian Tourist Letter of Invitation/Visa Support [How it looks]:

As we have mentioned before tourist visa can be obtained on the basis of invitation from a Russian tourist agency and/or hotel, registered with the Department of Consular Services of Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). Each agency is issued a special its own "tour/group reference number". It is a four digit number. Make sure, your chosen agency tells it to you and you put it on your Russian visa application.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Tourist letter of invitation is issued for no more than 30 calendar days! If you plan to stay in Russia longer, you have to obtain BUSINESS or PRIVATE stay visa instead.

Usually, these invitations allow you to enter and exit Russia once. A double entry letter of invitation can be obtained if you travel to Russia, then visit a neighboring country (Ukraine, Belarus, etc.) and then go back to Russia. It, however, cannot be used for two separate entries that extend passed 30 day period.

Russian Tourist Invitation Prices and Processing Times – It is the cheapest type of invitation letters. Nevertheless, the price of a tourist invitation range widely. You can get one from FREE to $15 to $55, and it takes 15 minutes to 1 business day to issue it. You should know though that each travel agency/hotel pays an annual MFA registration fee; and their letter of invitation net cost is negligible (less than a $1). If you bargain correctly, you can get your tourist invitation for FREE with other travel services purchased with the firm. In general, your tourist voucher and confirmation are sent to by e-mail (scanned copy), by fax, or by post (if the Russian consulate requires originals, check with the consulate of your choice). Some consulates might ask a day-by-day itinerary, your invitation sponsor can provide you with such itinerary FREE of charge.

Most often you get both required papers tourist voucher and reservation confirmation on one piece of paper. Otherwise, you will get two separate documents. They both have almost the same information (see below). A standard tourist reservation confirmation has a standard form, but tourist voucher does not. It can look different from one travel agency to the next. Both pieces of paper should have the control voucher number, name of the sponsoring organization, its address and phone numbers in Russia, tour reference number, your personal data, date of entry/exit and detailed description of your itinerary as well as the payment method for services rendered. Please make sure it has a stamp and signature of executing officer of the firm.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Technically speaking, voucher is a receipt from the travel agency confirming that you paid for services "provided", and the reservation confirmation is a confirmation for the consulate, which states:

  1. Your official TRIP purpose is TOURISM (Visa Questionnaire for US citizens -- Question #8 : Purpose of Trip – mark TOURISM, even though your actual purpose is different!);
  2. Organization by the such and such name, with such and such reference number is inviting you to tour Russia for such and such dates (Visa Questionnaire for US citizens -- Question #9 : Russian institution or organization to be visited, Question #16: Name and reference number of the tourist group)
  3. You "have purchased" a hotel reservation through a visa agency (Visa Questionnaire for US citizens -- Question #39 : Name, address and phone number of person or hotel in Russia –please write a hotel listed on your invitation letter); and
  4. You will be traveling to such and such cities in Russia (please list these cities on Visa Questionnaire for US citizens -- Question #10 : Itinerary (places to be visited)

You, however, do not have, or have to have a reservation with hotel, and even stay in it; your actual trip purpose might be different. You just need to make sure you mirror information on your letter of invitation when filing visa application (at the consulate) and migration card (at the border). Consistency is the key in getting your Russian visa. [see our question-by-question guide for filling Russian visa application]

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please be extra careful and double-check that your name, date of birth, passport number, entry and exit dates are correct since it is information used to issue your visa.

Obtaining Russian Tourist Invitation from Hotel in Russia -- Russian hotels, which have a valid tour reference number, can issue you a mandatory invitation, letter (FREE OF CHARGE), but only for the period you're staying on its premises. Always ask a hotel if they can an official letter of invitation or not. Below is a partial list of Moscow hotels that can issue letter of invitations:

Russian Business Letter of Invitation/Visa Support [How it looks]:

If you travel to Russia more than once a year; if you stay for more than 30 days at a time, or just need more flexibility, Russian business visa and, therefore, Russian Business Invitation is a way to go and you can contact a reputable travel agency to obtain one for you. Business visa support allows you to obtain visa for up to 12 months (not possible with tourist visa) and enter/exit Russia multiple times.

Normally, business invitation and business visas are designated for people, who intend to do business in Russia, meet with business counterparts, attend a conference/expo, sign a contract, and get involved in related activities. Business invitation does not imply a work authorization – you need WORK visa for legal work authorization. If you are going for such a trip, please ask your business partner to take care of visa support formalities. It might be too much of a hassle for your host firm if it is not registered with Russian authorities and have not done this before. Please refer host firm to this page and ask to download an official government Business Visa Support request form HERE

IMPORTANT NOTICE: If you obtain 12 months Multiple entry letter of invitation/visa, according to Russian migration laws you cannot stay in Russia for more than 183 consecutive days. You have to leave country for at least a day and then re-enter for another 6 months. Many people opt to leave to neighboring country for sightseeing (Belarus, Ukraine, Baltic States, etc.) and re-enter in few days.

Since November 1st, 2002 business invitations are issued by the Passport and Visa Department (Паспортно-Bизовой Управление) at the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issues special telexes instead of paper invitation letters (scroll down few paragraphs). The visa supports can be obtained on the basis of request from registered Business Company or Travel Agency to the above mentioned government authorities. An inviting firm fills a standard form asking designated government body to issue BUSINESS letter of invitation for you, pays an official filling fee, and received an actual invitation letter in few days/weeks [How it looks?]

Russian Business Invitation Prices and Processing Times – As you have noticed business visa support takes longer, requires more efforts from travel agency or your business partner, and costs more. Again, prices vary widely from agency to agency. It can start from $59 and reach as much as $350 for quickly processed Multiple entry letter of invitation. Sample fees:

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please be extra careful and double-check that your name, date of birth, passport number, entry and exit dates are correct since it is information used to issue your visa.
The delivery method of Business invitations is somewhat complicated. It can either sent to you by:

IMPORTANT NOTICE: If you apply for Multiple entry visa, virtually all consulates require original letter of invitation and HIV test. Therefore, please account for extra cost involved for international shipping from Russia to your home country (around $50-$60 to the U.S.; takes 2-3 business days).

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Technically speaking, Business visa invitation is an official document confirming that you're invited by an agency to visit Russia and engage in Business meetings and also states:

  1. Your official TRIP purpose is BUSINESS (Visa Questionnaire for US citizens -- Question #8 : Purpose of Trip – mark BUSINESS, even though your actual purpose is different!);
  2. Organization by the such and such name, with such and such addresss is inviting you to engage in business activities in Russia for specified period (Visa Questionnaire for US citizens -- Question #9 : Russian institution or organization to be visited, Question #16: n/a)
  3. You will be traveling to such and such cities in Russia (please list these cities on Visa Questionnaire for US citizens -- Question #10 : Itinerary (places to be visited)

Again, you just need to make sure to mirror information on your letter of invitation when filing visa application (at the consulate) and migration card (at the border). Your "paper” itinerary does not have to match an actual itinerary.[See our question-by-question guide for filling Russian visa application]

Russian Private-Stay/Personal Letter of Invitation/Visa Support [How it looks]

As the name implies, this type of visa support is provided to you by a Russian national (your relative, friend, etc.). A so called Priglashenie allows you to enter/exit country once and stay for up to 90 days. The application process is somewhat cumbersome for your Russian fellow and will take up to 1.5-2 months. The general step-by-step procedure in getting this letter of invitation is:

  1. Fill request for visa support form (in Russian, completed by inviting person)
  2. Take it to local OVIR/PVO (управление виз и регистраций/Паспортно-визовой Управление)
  3. Get bank account details, pay a government filling fee ($10-$30, changes regularly)
  4. Wait up to 30 business days (mandated processing period) until officials contact your friend and ask to come to pick up the letter of invitation
  5. Get letter of invitation mailed to you. All Consulates require original! Air shipping from Russian to the U.S. costs about $50-$60.

Please remember that you friend will have to go to the government office at least few times where she/he will have to wait in line, deal with bureaucrats, etc. So, it is pretty clear why most travelers, who respect their friend's time, opt for a business visa.

Private/Guest Visa is for you, if you're going to visit your pals (friends, relatives, fiancée, etc.) and will stay with them in Russia. It is more flexible than tourist visa – valid up to 3 months and allows up to two entries. The catch is that you need to have a personal visa support document from a person you're about to visit.

And honestly, it will be a real pain in the ass for your friend to get it for you. She will have to go to her local police Office of Visas and Registrations (OVIR) or Office of Federal Migration Services (FMS) , fill tons of forms, pay government fees (around $7), come back to collect the invitation, if she is lucky, and, finally, mail you the original document. Russian consulates accept only original invitation for this type of visa!

In the end, you will save you $30-$50 on your visa, but not your pal. Add wasted hours, increased stress, and harassment from local officials, she would have suffered. So, you might want to pay more for a Business (for 30+ days' visits) or Tourist visa (for up to 30 days' visit), but save your friend's energy. Still not convinced that is so hard? [more in Types of Russian Visas and Invitations section]

Student/Education Visa is for you only if you intend to study in Russia. If it is your intent, we have good news for you. Student visa is the most flexible type of Russian visa. For your first trip to school, you get single entry, up to 90 days visa. However, you can change number of entries and extend it up to 12 monthswhile in Russia up to 12 months, it is the most flexible.

Other Types of Letter of Invitations/Visa Supports:

There are other types of invitation letters (i.e. Student, Humanitarian), but less 1% of travelers apply for them. Therefore, we decided not to cover them in this section. If you have a question about them, please feel free to contact our office and we will be glad to assist you.

What is and how to Use Migration Card?

To better cope with terrorism and illegal migration, especially from Common Wealth Independent Countries (CIS), Russian government introduced so called Migration Card ("Миграционная карта" ) in late November of 2002. This card serves as your proof of legal entry and exit from Russia and you fill one at the time of arrival or immediately before that (e.g. on the plane, bus, train, ship, etc.).

The migration card is a narrow slip of paper divided into two identical pieces:

Both parts ask to fill identical information about a traveler: name, date of birth, passport #, citizenship, anticipated length of stay in Russia and the purpose of the visit to Russia. The card is written in both Russian Cyrillic and English Latin alphabets. Russian government asks to fill it in Cyrilic, but you can use Latin alphabet if you do not speak Russian. You must complete both parts and hand it to immigration officer.

See a sample of the migration card here Acrobat PDF format. You should not fill it in advance. You'll obtain one at the port of entry to Russia or on airplane free of charge and it will have a unique number. Nevertheless, it is worth knowing how to fill one before your trip.

Good news is that migration card is a simple one to complete. However, you can find few useful tips for filling your migration card correctly:

Important Notice:

You must present your Migration Card when registering your visa in Russia.

You must submit your Migration Card when leaving Russia.

So, please take particular care and avoid loosing your migration card. We recommend stapling it to your passport.

Make sure you write the name and address of the inviting company as it is written on your visa support and your visa. If asked by official, you should be able to point out or state name of inviting organization.

State your departure date as the day of your return airline or train tickets as you might be asked to show them. If you, however, intend to leave by car or do not have return tickets, you can state your last day in Russia as the day of exit stated on your Russian visa. IMPORTANT: The migration official will stamp your card within a specific departure date, which might be less than validity of your visa. In this case, you have to leave the country before that stamped departure date and not the date imprinted on your Russian visa.

Your purpose of visit mark should mirror your visa invitation and visa type. For example, if you have business visa, but you’re truly visiting relatives or adopting a child, or meeting a fiancée, do not put your purpose of trip as PRIVATE visit, rather put as BUSINESS.

During the custom procedure, the immigration officer can conduct an interview with you and ask few questions about your purpose of visit, departure date, place of residency while in Russia, etc. So, it is important to provide consistent information and be able to tell the same info as you’ve written in your migration card or have on your Russian visa support or Russian visa. If you answers match your paperwork, you’ll not have any problems at the border.

Russian law does suggest to carry migration card along with you passport at all times since they have your visa registration mark [read more in Russian Visa Registration Section] and serve as a legal proof of entry to the country.