Tourist invitation | Introduction | Types of Visa | How to Apply | Registration | Russian Consulates

A Russian visa is a special document attached to your passport, that grants you a permit to enter and to leave the Russian Federation during a period of time specified in the visa. Every foreign citizen needs a Russian visa to enter / leave Russia, except nationals of some CIS countries (former USSR without Baltic States).
A Russian visa looks like this:
Generally, there are six types of Russian visas: 1) a tourist visa, 2) a business visa, 3) a student visa, 4) a personal (private) visa, 5) a transit visa, 6) a short 72-hour visa. Each visa type corresponds to the purpose of your visit.
However, many people come for a short business trip with tourist visas, or to visit their friends with business visas. So, when choosing the type of visa, the only consideration should be — price / speed of processing / period of stay / the number of entries, and not the formal name of the visa.
Generally, the best options in terms of price, processing speed and flexibility are tourist and business visas. It's better to get a tourist visa if you plan to stay in Russia no longer than one month, and need a single-entry only. It's better to get a business visa if you plan to stay in Russia longer than 1 month and / or need a multiple-entry visa.
It is easier to obtain a tourist visa -- a business visa costs more, and takes longer to process, although it may save you time and money in the long-term.

You can read more about different types of visas in Types of Visas and Invitations section.

Step 2: How and Where to Get a Russian Visa:
You can get a Russian visa in a Russian consulate at the country you're currently in. To apply for a Russian visa, you need to submit to a Russian consulate certain documents, depending on the type of visa you require. For example, to apply for a tourist visa, you need to submit: a) your passport, b) three passport-size photos, c) a visa application form (it is a questionaire available in the consulate for free; a sample is available here to download, not to fill in!), and d) an invitation from Russia (the type of the invitation depends on the visa you wish to get -- tourist, business or private). There might be some additional requirements if you apply for a business or student visa (e.g. travel insurance or HIV test), but they are not always obligatory.
To process your visa, the consulate will charge you a certain visa processing fee depending on the type of your visa and the speed of processing (the more you pay, the faster your request is processed). Usually, a tourist visa costs about $50 to $70 US and takes about 7 to 14 days to process.

You can read more about Russian visa Requirements in How to Apply section.

Step 3: What is the Invitation and How to Get It:
All the required documents that are listed above are easy to get and you should already have them available. The only document that you don't already have is the invitation.
The invitation (also called visa support) is a special document issued by the party that invites you to Russia. The invitation is required by a Russian consulate to be able to process your visa. For every type of visa, there exists a different type of invitation (tourist, business, private, student). For example, to apply for a tourist visa, you'll need a tourist invitation (a tourist visa support). A tourist invitation (or visa support) looks something like this (though it may look different as well):


The invitation (visa support) can be issued by a Russian travel agency or by a company or organisation authorized by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).
Important: According to the new Russian law regulating the status of foreign citizens in Russia (eff. 1 Nov 2002), all the functions of visa support authorization will pass with time from MFA to the Russian Interior Ministry (RIM). If doesn't affect you as a traveler, however, you may expect a slight change in visa support (invitation) processing time and costs.
After you receive the invitation, you can bring it along with the other documents needed (see a comprehensive list of the documents needed for every type of visa at How to Apply section) to the consulate and apply for your Russian visa. It's always better to ask the Russian consulate first whether they accept copies of invitations or only originals and specifying it when applying for an invitation to facilitate processing.
A tourist invitation is needed to get a tourist visa. It usually costs about $30 US and takes from 1 hour to 1 day to be issued. Usually, a copy of the invitation is acceptable to the consulate (a fax, a printed out scanned copy), but sometimes they require originals (can be sent by post). When you receive this invitation, you can take it along with the other documents (see Step 2) to the consulate and apply for your Russian visa.
A business invitation is more expensive, because it requires some fees to be paid to the Russian Interior Ministry and takes longer to issue. At the same time, a business visa, that can be obtained with this type of invitation, allows a longer stay (up to 12 months) and multiple entries (it's not possible with a tourist visa). However, with a business visa, a foreigner can continiously stay in Russia for not longer than 6 months (you may leave for 1 day after 6 months and then come back, and it'll be ok).
The price of a business invitation to obtain a visa for a 3 months stay, double-entry would cost about $90 US. This invitation can be either sent to you by fax or e-mail (if the consulate accepts copies), posted (if the consulate requires originals), or sent by telex directly to the consulate (the most convenient option for you, because you just need to bring your passport, photos, application form and a fee, but also slightly more expensive).

You can read more about various types of invitations, that are available in the Types of Visas and Invitations section of this site.

You can apply for a tourist or a business invitation (Russian visa support) online through our site at Services / Visa Support (the service is provided not by WayToRussia.Net, but by our partner company).


Step 4: So, How Long and How Much Will It Take?
First of all, you should get an invitation ready. After it's ready, you can take the invitation to the Russian consulate along with other documents needed (see How to Apply for a comprehensive list of documents needed for every type of the visa) and a visa application form.
The Russian consulate will accept your papers, charge a visa processing fee, and issue your visa in 1 to 14 days (depends on how much you pay). So, the total processing time will be about 1 day to apply and receive an invitation + about 1 day to submit the documents to the Russian consulate + average 7 days for visa processing = about 9 days. The total visa expenses will be about $30 US for the invitation paid to a travel agency (for a tourist visa) + about $50 US for visa processing paid to the Russian consulate = $80 US.

Step 5: Migration Card:
As of 25 November 2002, all foreigners are obliged to fill in a migration card, which will be given to them the instant they cross the Russian border. It is required to put in the migration card: 1) personal information, 2) terms of stay in Russia and the purposes of the visit and 3) the prospective residential address. It is obligatory to fill in the name of the inviting company and the address of the inviting company (all this should be provided in your visa support paper -- write it down!). Everyone, who has not put a registration mark due to the address of prospective stay of residence within three days (in other words, visa registration), will be considered illegal. The card should be handed over to immigration officials on the border when leaving the country.
The migration card is not something complicated, it's just another paper to fill in and is similar to the "landing card" given to non EU citizens when they fly to Europe.  All the cards have a unique number!
Foreign visitors will also be asked how long they intend to spend in Russia – and may be asked to show a proof – return tickets, for example. Their migration card will then be stamped with a specific departure date – according to this information! Even if the visa is valid for a full 30 days, for example, but the migration card was issued for only 25 days, that person will need to leave Russia IN 25 DAYS or before the date on his or her migration card.
The "early interview" is going to be extremely important and may very well determine if the person is even admitted to visit Russia. However, most of the foreigners are admitted without any problems, if their answers match with the information in the visa and visa support documents.
IMPORTANT NOTE: People flying through Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo in Moscow and Pulkovo in St. Petersburg reported they did not receive any migration cards. It means that even though the law is effective, it's not implemented yet. So, don't worry, if you're not given the migration card, you won't have to hand it back. It is expected that the migration cards will be given starting from 15th February 2003. If you arrived to Russia before this date and can prove it (e.g. a stamp in your visa), there shouldn't be any problem with officials. Otherwise, there may be a fine (from $30 to $130 US), and a possibility of deportation. So please check if the migration cards are given when you arrive to Russia after the 15th February.

Step 6: Russian Visa Registration:
Your visa must be registred within 72 hours upon your arrival to any Russian city excluding working days and holidays) by either a hotel you're staying in or, if it's not possible (in case you're not staying in a hotel), by the company that issued your invitation (visa support), or by a local registration office (UVIR). The registration is a small stamp in your passport or the migration card, showing a place of your stay, and is a legacy of Soviet times. If you don't register your visa within 72 hours, you may be fined, detained for not longer than 3 hours by police (if they stop you on the street), fined by passport control when you leave Russia, or at the worst — deported from Russia.
Thus, we strongly advise you to register your visa. Usually, the visa is registered for the whole period of its validity, so you'll need to do it only once.
There are several ways to register your visa.
If you stay in a hotel or a hostel, they should (according to the law) register your visa for the whole period of its validity, but not longer than 3 months. It'll cost about 20 R ($0.7 US) or be free of charge.
If you stay with your friends or rent an apartment (in other words, not in a hotel), the visa should be registered by the inviting party.
If you obtained your invitation (tourist invitation) from a Russian travel agency (company, organisation), this travel agency must (according to the law) register your visa. Usually, it takes about 3 days to register your visa, so you should bring it to the agency, as soon as you're in Russia.
If you were invited by your friends (personal invitation), they should register you in a local UVIR (immigration) office. To register you, they'll need to bring a landlord letter, saying they don't mind having you registered at their apartment (see a sample of landlord letter here - text format). It is a long process to register in UVIR by yourself, that's why many people choose to be invited by a travel agency, to avoid queues.
If you stay in Russia for longer than 3 months, the registration should be made through a local UVIR office. The company that issued your visa invitation should assist you in this matter or register it for you.

Good & important advice: the company, that processes your Russian visa support, must have an office in Moscow, St. Petersburg or another Russian city (where you will travel), to be able to register your visa. Always ask for this address, as you might need it to register your visa and for emergency cases. Remember, if you don't register your visa, you might be fined and deported from Russia.

Finally...
We hope this information made a good introduction into what Russian visa is and how it works. For more detailed information and comprehensive reviews, see the following parts of our Russian Visa section:
- Types of Visas and Invitations - a comprehensive review of every type of visas and invitations needed for them, that will allow you to choose the option that's the most suitable for your needs. Legal information.
- How to Apply - what documents you need to apply for every type of visa, how much it'll cost, and how long it's going to take.
- Visa Registration - how to register your visa, legal information (so that you know your rights).
- The Legal Status of Foreigners in Russia - the most up-to-date information about new visa regulation laws, migration cards, and employment issues.
- Russian Consulates Worldwide - a list of Russian consulates worldwide with additional information about some of them.

Your Comments and Additions
If you have something to add or to ask, you can send message to the email [email protected]. We will post it shortly.

Comment (11/02/03): "Great column with expert advice. Thanks!!!!"

Question (10/04/03): "Hi! thanks for providing such a great website - i searched for so long before finding you! I have a few questions re: visas:
1. Are tourist visas renewable and if so, how?
2. Can i get a business visa if i am going as a tourist without having to do any extensive lying (I'm not a very good lier) and if so are there any possible complications?
3. I am thinking of staying with very kind friends of friends while in Russia and dont want to bother them with official things that could be a hassle for them. How difficult is it for them to register my visa when i arrive?
Thanks in advance... "
Answer: Tourist visas are renewable technically, but practlically - no. It's much easier and faster to go out of Russia to a Baltic country, for example, and get a new visa there.
There's no lying about getting a business visa if you're going as a tourist. The greatest liars are people in the embassy: they totally understand what you are after, so don't worry about that. If you specify the purpose of your trip as "business" in application form, and if you remember the name of the inviting company (it'll be written in your invitation), there are no problems at all.
If you apply for your visa support through our site, our partner company will register your visa in Moscow or St. Petersburg, so you can stay with your friends very easily.

Question (23/04/03): "hello! i am travelling from australia to russia in late may, i am a dual citizen, italian & australian, is there any advantage or cost-saving in applying with my eu (italian passport)?
regards domenico"
Answer: There can be, as visa fees directly reflect the cost for Russian citizens to get a visa of the other country. So, what you can do is to contact Russian consulates in Italy and in Australia and see who has the lower price.

Comment (30/05/03): "thank you very much for such a great website. I have been to Russia and other CIS countries a few times before but it was when we didn?t need any documents, visa etc. /Czech Republic, until 1999/ and I only now realized how things changed. I find this column very very useful. Thank you again. "

Comment (19/06/03): "Fantastic web site, really helpful easy advice!!! Reading this site REALLY got me going on my (dream!) trip to Russia. Definitely the best site on from what I can see."

Question (19/06/03): "Thank you for a great web site! I have several questions on the visa process. The Embassy in Tokyo told me I need a "Voucher" AND "confirmation" from the hotel. So my questions are:
1. If I apply through this site, is the "invitation ( visa support)" that I'll receive the actual "Voucher"?
2. Will I get the confirmation too? I presume this is confirmation of my hotel booking. But I won't really be booked in-is that OK?
3. I will be coming from Mongolia by train so will only visit lake Baikal for a week or so - do you know any hotel there that I could stay in and get my invitation/Vocher from?
By the way, the embassy in Tokyo accept copies so long as it's from a Russian hotel.
Thanks for your help! "
Answer: If you apply through our site, you receive a paper that is both an invitation and a voucher (on one paper usually, but may be on two separate sheets of paper as well). The answer to question 2 is "yes". 

Comment (23/06/03): "Really great website!!! Brilliant! A great collection of informations related to almost every aspect concerning VISA. Thanks a lot!! I reached this site after struggling a lot at the search engines, and now I'm really contented! :-) Please keep it up! Great work!"

Question (26/06/03): "In order to apply for a visa, must you *physically* go to the consulate?"
Answer: No, in some countries (UK, USA, for example) it is possible to submit documents by post. See the Russian consulates websites for more information (websites listed here)