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Russian visa requirements are quite difficult for many people, even for tourism purposes. This is further complicated by a national tourism agency that seems uninterested in foreign tourism outside of major events like the FIFA World Cup and the 2012 Winter Olympic games. Once you have decided that you would like to visit Russia, it is difficult to understand which visa is best. For some nationalities, longer visas are available, but you must ask for them specifically. We hope that we can clear up much of the confusion around getting a visa to Russia. We want to make it straightforward for those of you who want to visit this wonderful country.
It is worth noting that thankfully, the visa regime of Russia is liberalizing, but slowly. Recently, Russia made e visas available for 50 countries. Currently, this is only for travel to certain regions of Russia for short trips. Unfortunately, this is not an option for US, UK, Australian, New Zealand or Canadian citizens.
This guide should give you an idea of the different types of visas available. Even if you do not need a tourist visa to visit Russia, you will need a visa to work or stay longer than 30 days (90 days for some nationalities).
Types of Visas
There are six visa categories: tourist, business, work, student, private, and transit. Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages. Russian visa requirements will vary based on which category you need. Each category comes with different terms as well.
Visa Application
The visa application can be one of the most difficult parts of the whole visa process. The official visa application site is very unstable. There isn’t much you can do, but simply push through it and save often. The visa application can be found on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation site.
Tourist Visa
The tourist visa is by far the most common type of visa for anyone coming to Russia for less than 30 days. If you are planning to come to Russia for 30 days or less, this is the ideal visa to obtain. If you plan ahead, it isn’t difficult to obtain. American citizens can obtain a 3-year tourist visa. Each time you cross the Russian border you may stay for 6 months. As long as you are not working, you can stay in Russia for 3 years on this visa. Unfortunately, for other nationalities, you are limited to 30 days.
Russian tourist visa requirements:
- a tourist invitation
- a passport photo
- a signed Russian visa application form
- your passport
- Russian visa fee
The fee for this type of visa depends highly on your citizenship but is usually between $50 and $160 if you apply in person at the consulate.
Russian visa requirements state that you will need a tourist invitation to apply for a Russian visa. This is quite easy to get and you can purchase them online. There are endless options online, but we highly recommend Let’s Russia.
If you live near a consulate, it is very easy to take the documents to the consulate yourself. They will check to make sure everything has been filled out correctly and tell you when to come to pick up the documents. In the US, you may make an appointment at the consulates in Washington, DC, New York, and Houston. To make an appointment, please see the following links: Washington, DC, New York, and Houston. For other countries, please check with your local consulate. Options for applying in person vary widely. Some countries require you to use an official visa center. In others, you may come to the Russian consulate without an appointment.
If you do not live close to a consulate, there are numerous visa agencies that can submit your documents to the consulate on your behalf. We highly recommend Let’s Russia if you live far from the consulates. They will walk you through the process. Keep in mind that it will cost more than dropping the documents at the consulate yourself. With that said, the price is very competitive, but their customer service is top-notch.
Business Visa
A business visa is typically requested for two reasons. Either you are traveling to Russia on business, or you wish to stay more than 30 days. A Russian business visa will allow you to stay in Russia for up to 90 days in a 180 period. This makes it much better for those of you looking to stay in Russia longer. In the past, many people have used business visas to live in Russia, leaving the country every 90 days and getting a new visa. However, the Russian authorities have cracked down on this. We do not recommend doing this if you have any intention of staying in Russia long-term.
Russian business visa requirements:
- An official business visa invitation
- a passport photo
- a signed Russian visa application form
- your passport
- Russian visa fee
Russian visa requirements for a business visa are similar to a tourist visa. The only difference is that you need a different type of invitation. The invitation is much more formal. It must be obtained by the company sponsoring the visa at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Russia. There are many companies that will assist in obtaining a business visa invitation. The cost is significantly higher than for a tourist visa invitation. Expect to pay between $200 and $400 for a business visa invitation. Let’s Russia offers legitimate business visa invitations. Many companies sell business visa invitations that are not legitimate. What makes it worse is that you have no way of knowing until you go to the consulate.
Once you have the business visa invitation, you may make an appointment at one of the consulates. In the United States, they are located in Washington, DC, New York, and Houston. Please check with your country’s local consulate. Keep in mind that options for applying in person vary widely. You must use an official visa center for some countries. For others, you may be able to come to the Russian consulate without an appointment.
Work Visa
A work visa is required if you are going to work in Russia. There are two different types of work visas that are available to foreign citizens. The first type of work visa is the standard work visa. The second is a highly qualified specialist (HQS) work visa. The HQS is granted to anyone with a salary of more than 2 million rubles ($32,000) per year.
For the standard work visa, the employer must apply for a limited quota position to be able to offer a job to a foreign citizen. There is a list of professions that are exempt from the quota system. For most jobs, the employer must apply in advance to be able to hire foreign workers. Once the employer has applied for and received permission to hire a foreign worker within the quota system, the process of applying for and receiving a work permit and work visa can take up to 6 months. Standard work visas are issued for 3 months initially and must be extended for a year before it expires. After that, a work visa can be renewed every year. Therefore, this makes many companies nervous about hiring foreigners for most jobs as the bureaucracy is a pain to navigate.
On the other hand, the HQS visa process has been simplified to make attracting and hiring foreign talent easier for Russian companies. An HQS visa may be applied for if the salary is more than 2 million rubles ($32,000) per year (1 million rubles for certain positions). All HQS visas are exempt from the quota system. So a company can immediately apply for a work permit on your behalf, which is a prerequisite for a work visa. This entire process should take 2-3 weeks from the offer to getting your visa. If you can earn a salary of 2 million+ rubles per year, this is by far the best route to pursue. An HQS visa can be issued for up to 3 years and does not require annual renewal. This makes it much more convenient for employees and employers.
In order to apply for a work visa, you must have been offered a job and accepted. At that point, the company that is hiring you will have to apply for a work permit on your behalf. The company should walk you through this entire process.
Russian work visa requirements:
- An official work visa invitation letter from employer
- a passport photo
- a signed Russian visa application form
- HIV (AIDS) test results
- your passport
- Russian visa fee
If you are abroad, as an English teacher, the school will perform all of the formalities on your behalf and send you a work visa invitation. Then you will go to the consulate with all of the documents as you would for either a tourist or business visa to apply. If you do not live near a consulate, Let’s Russia can help deliver your passport and documents on your behalf. They will also forward your passport with your visa back to you.
If you are based in Russia, then the process is a bit different and it can vary. You must have a job offer for your future employer to apply for a work permit on your behalf. Once you have the work permit, you need to apply for a work visa. Because you are already in Russia, you will have to leave the country and get the visa at a consulate. Depending on your citizenship, you may have to go back to your home country to get a work visa. This is the case for most Western nationalities. You may ask your employer to call the consulate in neighboring countries to see if they will process the visa even if officially you must obtain the visa in your home country. This sometimes works.
Fortunately, in almost all cases, your employer will handle all of the formalities and costs associated with your work visa. If you are abroad, you will usually only have to take the documents to the consulate or use a visa agency like Let’s Russia.
Student Visa
Student visas are issued to anyone who is formally studying in Russia. The program of study can be language courses or a full university degree program. If you are planning to formally study in Russia, you must be on a student visa or a work visa. Some institutions will allow you to study short-term on a business visa, but be very careful about not overstaying your visa. Any educational institution should provide you with support for a student visa for the full term of your studies.
The process for obtaining a student visa can be quite lengthy. If you are interested in studying in Russia, we recommend getting started as far in advance as possible. Admissions departments in Russia are usually more flexible than in the West. The deadline for applications to begin studying at a university in the fall is usually in May. For Russian courses, you can usually apply anytime and start at the next class period.
Once you have decided you want to study in Russia and you have applied, you need to wait for acceptance and invitation letters from the university or language school. With the invitation, you can now apply for a student visa. The process is very similar to a work visa.
Russian student visa requirements:
- An official student visa invitation letter from an educational institution
- a passport photo
- a signed Russian visa application form
- HIV (AIDS) test results
- your passport
- Russian visa fee
Once you have the student visa invitation, you may make an appointment at one of the consulates. Please check with your local consulate as options for applying in person vary widely. In some countries, you must use an official visa center. In others, you may come to the Russian consulate without an appointment.
If you do not live close to the consulate, there are numerous visa agencies. They will take your documents and submit them to the consulate on your behalf. Our favorite visa agency in the US is Let’s Russia. They will walk you through the process. While it costs more than dropping the documents yourself, the price is very competitive. They also offer customer service, if you’ve got any questions.
For more information about university programs in Russia, check out our Russia Country Guide.
Private Visa
A private visa is one of the most burdensome visas available. It seems quite straightforward and is very similar to the tourist visa. The only difference is that you do not need a tourist visa invitation. Instead, you require a private invitation from a friend or relative in Russia. Unfortunately, this is very time-consuming to obtain in Russia and must be approved by the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs. Depending on the visa duration requested, it may need to be notarized as well. Then, the original copy must be sent to you and you must deliver it to the Russian consulate. You will spend significantly more money on organizing this type of visa than just purchasing a tourist voucher for $25 and applying for a tourist visa.
We highly recommend that you do not apply for a private visa. Any number of things may be wrong with the letter and you will be denied a visa. Simply apply for a tourist visa or business visa instead.
Transit Visa
Russian visa requirements allow a stay in the airport for up to 24 hours. You cannot leave the international terminal without a visa. If you want to leave the airport and see Moscow, you can easily apply for a transit visa in advance of your trip. The transit visa will allow stays of up to 72 hours. The transit visa procedure is just like a tourist visa. The exception is that you don’t need a tourist invitation, your plane ticket itinerary will suffice. The transit visa is also a bit cheaper than a tourist visa.
Russian transit visa requirements:
- a passport photo
- a signed Russian visa application form
- your passport
- Russian visa fee
- ticket/itinerary showing onward travel from Russia
As with the tourist visa, you may either take the documents to the consulate or use a visa agency.
To make an appointment to drop your documents off, please see the following links: Washington, DC, New York, and Houston.
If you are going to use a visa agency service for your transit visa, we highly recommend Let’s Russia.
We hope that we have answered all of your questions regarding Russian visa requirements. Remember that visa requirements are different for every nationality. If you have any questions about how to obtain a visa for travel to Russia, leave a comment below. We will try to help you as best we can.
