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How to apply for a Russian Visa

Who requires a visa? - Most visitors to Russia require a visa to enter. Unlike some countries (such as Turkey) where a visa can be granted on the border, Russia does not issue visas on the border. Do not believe any rumors to the contrary which fly around - if you hope to resolve any visa questions on the border you will be sorely disappointed and very inconvenienced.

Time frame to receive visa - Acquiring a Russian visa is not a fast affair. It can take up to two weeks to receive once your application has been received for processing by the Russian consulate. Sometimes processing time can be reduced to one working day, but this is the exception and is also very expensive. In fact processing time depends on your nationality as Russia matches visa processing time in a reciprocal way with how your country issues visas to Russians. My advice is to plan your visa process at least two weeks prior to your arrival date to Russia.

Where can I receive a Russian visa? - Starting January 1, 2008 some Russian consulates around the world started to implement a new requirement that foreigners can apply for a visa only at the Russian consulate in their country of citizenship or where they have residency. In fact most Russian consulates are not enforcing this, so simply check in advance to insure that you are eligible in the country you where you plan to apply.

Should I use an agency? - The first decision you have to make in applying for a Russian visa is to chose whether you would like to process it through the Russian consulate yourself of if you would like a travel agency to do the work for you. The advantage of using an agency is that they will gather all the documents for you and drop them off and pick them up from the consulate. You really don't have to do much. For this service you will typically pay about 100 euros in addition to the consulate fees. The second option is for you to gather your own visa support documents and go to the consulate yourself. Requires more effort, but you'll save some money.

Here is a picture of what the visa looks like :

this image courtesy of Real Russia

For more details on how to read a Russian visa go to How to read a Russian visa

Which type of Russian Visa should I get? - There are essentially six types of Russia visas :

1) tourist visa

2) business visa

3) student visa

4) personal (private) visa

5) transit visa

6) brief 72-hour visa

You can be flexible in the type of visa you select for your trip. Many people who visit Russia come for a short business trip with a tourist visa or to visit friend with business visas. When you select the type of visa you should select based on price / processing speed / period of stay / number of entries. You should NOT select your visa based on the formal name/type.

In general, the best choice taking into account price, processing speed and flexibility are tourist or business visas. If you plan to stay in Russia no longer than 30 days, and require only a single or double entry, then you should probably select a tourist visa. If you plan to stay in Russia longer than 1 month and / or require a multiple-entry visa then the business visa is preferable. The tourist visa costs less and requires less time to process. The business visa is makes sense when you are a regular visitor to Russia and stay for longer periods.

How do I apply for the Visa?

To apply for a Russian visa you will have to collect required documents. The documents differ depending on the type of visa you apply for. To apply for the tourist visa, you typically need to submit 1) your passport in the original, 2) three passport matte-finished photos, 3) visa application form (available on the consulate web site), 4) an invitation from somebody in Russia (invitation differs depending on your visa type). Some other documents are also required - for instance for the business visa sometimes travel insurance and an HIV test are required, but not always, so check first.

In addition to the documents, the consulate charges a processing fee which depends on the speed you require and your country of nationality. For instance for U.S. citizens the Russian consulate charges $131 for a tourist visa standard processing time of 7 to 10 working days. Citizens of other countries will typically pay a little less.

How do I get an invitation?

The invitation required differs depending on the type of visa you apply for.

For the tourist visa, you need to get a tourist invitation. This is two separate documents : a confirmation letter and a tourist voucher. There are a variety of companies online which will supply these to you almost instantaneously for about $30. After completing an online questionnaire and paying with your credit card, you will receive either a fax or a scanned copy, according to your desire. You then print out the invitation and confirmation and take it along with the other documents required to the consulate to apply for your visa. One company that I am familiar with which provides fast, cheap tourists invitations is www.getrussian.com

The business invitation is more complex to organize as a Russian company has to apply from within Russian to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and pay a fee. The advantage of the business visa is that the holder and enter and exit multiple times during the duration, with no requirement to apply for another. It's particularly convenient for a businessman who needs to travel in and out of Russia frequently. The multiple-entry invitation typically costs about $200. I have used the company Unifest Travel (www.unifest.ru) in Moscow and am pleased with their service

Where is the nearest Russian consulate?

Please go to our consulate page to get a list of Russian consulates and their contact information around the world.

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