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

contents: what is the registration - russian visa registration laws - where to make the registration (hotel, travel agency, apartment, landlord letter) - what if you don't register - problem situations (not possible to register, police scams, customs)

Note: the information in this section is revised according to the new law of the status of foreigners in Russia (#115-FZ, signed 25 July 2002, implemented 1 November 2002). What is the Registration?
Every foreigner who comes to Russia should have his Russian visa registered within 72 hours upon arrival, excluding holidays and weekends. Before it is 72 hours after your arrival, your tickets (train, bus, plane tickets) to the place you're in (e.g. Moscow) is the document, which can confirm how long you've been staying there.
If registering in a travel agency, it may take 3 days, so it's better to come to register just after you arrive.
The registration is a little stamp in your passport on a paper attached to your visa and/or on the new migration card (if it was given to you). In fact, it's not your obligation to register your visa, it should be done either by the company that issued your invitation, or in the hotel you're staying in. Depending on where you have your visa registered, the registration stamp will look different (on the picture above a hotel registration is shown). Generally, a tourist visa is the easiest to register, some restrictions apply to a business or a private visa. If you're staying in a private apartment, the landlord (the owner of the apartment) should provide a special letter to the company that'll register your visa. In this letter he / she claims that he agrees to accommodate you for a certain period in his apartment. You can see a sample of how this letter looks like here.
We will explain how you can have your visa registered later, first we would like to show where the legal basis for this weird rule comes from.


Know Your Rights - Russian Registration Laws.
Effective as of 1 November 2002 the new law "On the Status of Foreign Citizens in Russian Federation" (Law #115-FZ, issued 25/07/02) regulates such issues as Russian visa registration, describes the proccess of applying for a permit of stay in Russia or for Russian citizenship.
Here we will only show what this law says about visa registration.
Specifically, Article 20-1 claims that "A foreign citizen, once entered the Russian Federation, must register during the first three working days after his arrival, at the order provided by this law and other federal laws". Article 20-2 claims that the children under 18, who entered Russian Federation with their parents, or with one of the parents, should be registered together with the parent.
The order of registration is defined in the Article 21. Specifically, the Article 23-3 says that a foreign citizen should register at the place of his arrival in Russian Federation. (e.g. if you arrived in Irkutsk, and plan to stay there for longer than 3 days, you should register, even if you're going elsewhere after). The Article 23-3 also says that if a foreign citizen changes the place of his stay, he should register in the new place during the first three working days after his arrival. (e.g. if you came to St. Petersburg for 4 days, and then plan to stay in Moscow for another 5 days, you should register twice - once in St. Petersburg, then in Moscow.)
Article 21-6 claims that if a foreign citizen lost his documents during his stay in Russian Federation, he should not register. In this case, he should leave Russia not later than 10 days (including holidays) after he obtained the temporary documents.
According to Article 22 the foreigners who enter Russian Federation with diplomatic purpose, should be registered by the Russian Ministry of Foreign affairs. (If that is your case, we advise you to contact the organization you're visiting in Russia to learn in detail about the registration process, as it is different)
The documents needed for registration are listed in the Article 23: 1) a migration card with a stamp of passport control at the border; 2) passport or an identity document (it should be passport, because there's visa in the passport). Please, note, that even though the migration cards should be given to every foreigner at the border (according to the new law), it is not implemented yet (as of January 2003), so if you're not given the migration card, you may register with your passport only.
According to Article 24, a hotel must register a foreign citizen who is staying there, and forward all the information to the Russian immigration officials. When a foreigner leaves the hotel, the hotel must forward the date of leaving to immigration officials again.
The categories of foreigners who should not be registered are listed in the Article 25: 1) president of a state, head of international delegation, members of foreign government organisations, and members of their families; 2) (sic) foreign citizens, who arrived to Russia for the period not longer than 3 days, excluding those who stay in a hotel (in this case, the hotel will register this person anyway); 3) sailors, pilots; 4 and 5 lists other categories. 

Where to Register Your Russian Visa.
According to the law #115-FZ and other regulations and laws, the company that made an invitation for you in Russia or a hotel you're staying in, must register your visa if it is valid for up to 3 months. If it's valid for more than 3 months (i.e. a business visa for 12 months) special rules apply.

If you're staying in a hotel: If you are staying at a hotel, the hotel must register your visa (according to the Law #115-FZ, Article 24). The hotel administration will ask you your Russian visa, passport, and migration card (if it was given to you at the Russian border). A small registration fee can be imposed (from $0.5 US to about $5 US) and normally it takes a few minutes to have your visa registered (it's just a stamp, after all).
If you're staying in a hostel, they'll register your visa only if it was issued with them. It means that if you want to be more flexible in choosing where you live, it's better not to make your visa in hostels, because then you'll be obliged to stay there at least for one night, othewise they won't register your visa. The reason is that hostels in Russia don't issue the invitations themselves, but do it through affiliate travel agencies, that's why the travel agency rules apply to them as well (see below).

If you're not staying in a hotel: Only the company that issued the invitation for your visa can (and must!) register the visa for you if you're not staying in a hotel. That's why you should always check if the travel agency that looks after your visa support (invitation) has an office in all Russian cities you visit, and where you will NOT stay in hotels. The registration through a travel agency usually costs about $20 US.
If you start your travel in Russia at the city, where the travel agency (which is issuing your invitation) doesn't have an office, the travel agency should provide you with a special letter requesting immigration officials (UVIR) to register your visa. You might need it, for example, if the company has an office in Moscow and St. Petersburg and you start your trip in Irkutsk (through the Trans-Siberian), and staying in an apartment there for longer than 3 days.

Specifically, if you're staying in an apartment, your landlord (the owner of the apartment) should write a special letter where he or she agrees to have you registered temporarily in his or her apartment. You can download a sample of the Landlord Letter here (in Russian with a translation in English - Rich Text format). The letter should be then given to the travel agency that issued your invitation, so that they can register your visa. Sometimes, the visa can be registered at the travel agency's office without such letter (please, check with the agency that issues your visa support - invitation letter)

How do travel agencies register the visa? According to the new laws, all visas are registered by the representatives of the travel agency in the local UVIR (immigration officials) within three workdays. So, we advise you to bring your documents for a registration as early as you can (within the 3-day period).

Actually, after you have your invitation ready, any good travel agency that issued the invitation will usually provide you with all the information about registration procedure, because if you don't register your visa in Russia, this agency will have to pay heavy fines and might lose its travel agent license.
By the way, the online visa support proposed on our site is done through the travel agency that has their offices both in Moscow (the centrum and Sheremetyevo II airport) and St. Petersburg (the centrum), as well as assistants-representatives in other Russian cities, so you won't have any problems with registration. If you start your trip somewhere else, the agency will provide you with a special letter requesting immigration officials to register your visa.

What If You Don't Register?
I wouldn't bother writing all that if it was ok not to register your visa. But it's not. First, you might have problems with the police (if they stop you to check your passport), second, you might have problems with immigration officials when you're leaving Russia. The fines that you might pay (about $50-$100 US) in both cases are higher than the registration fee. In the worst case, you may even be deported from Russia, if you don't have your registration. If you are deported, you can't enter Russia for 5 years after the deportation.
So, we strongly recommend you to register your visa in 72 hours upon arrival.
If you have any problems with registration, don't let it go, read the information below, it should help you to solve them.
Also it's always better to know how far your rights extend to, so below I also provide references (and short descriptions) to some Russian visa registration laws, which might be useful if somebody wants to take advantage of you.

Problem Situation 1 - Can't Find Where to Register.
Description: What if you're not living in a hotel and the agency that issued the invitation for your visa doesn't have an office in Russia? (it means they fucked you up in a way...)
Reason: This situation may happen if you made your tourist or business invitation through a company that doesn't have an office in the city you're in, and you decided not to live in a hotel, but to live in an apartment or with your friends. It's not a big problem.
Solution 1: Contact the travel agency, explain the situation, ask them what to do. Most probably, they'll make a special letter to UVIR (immigration officials), which you will then need to bring to a local UVIR office. This option is the most legal and cheapest one, but also time-consuming.
Solution 2: You just go to any hotel (the cheapest one), buy a room there for one night only, and ask stamp a registration in your passport for the whole period of your visa. Not that they're obliged to do it, but they can. If they don't want to (for example, because you pay for 1 night only), try to persuade them refering to Federal Law #115 (26/07/02).

Problem Situation - What If You Lost Your Documents?
It's better to be very careful and not to lose the passport with a visa, but if that happened, you should do the following procedure:
Solution (in 6 steps):
1. Go to any police station around the area where your passport was lost and get a special paper, which says that your passport was indeed lost (it's called "spravka" in Russian).
2. Make sure you still have your planeticket with the date of return. If you don't, book a new flight and get the printed confirmation of booking.
3. Make some passport size photos on a special paper (not shiny) - available in any photo places.
4. Go to your embassy to get a new passport (you should contact the embassy just after you lost the passport to start processing).
5. If you have a copy of your lost visa it's better.
6. Take all the documents and papers listed above (the spravka from police, your plane ticket, photos, new passport, copy of your lost visa (if you have one)) and take it to the office of the travel agency that issued your visa support. Usually, it's the same office where you had to make your visa registration. You will be fined about $150 US by immigration officials and, if everything will go allright, you'll be given a new visa in a few days.

Problem Situation - Police Scams.
The visa registration thing was made up mostly for people from CIS countries, rather than the foreigners, to avoid illegal immigration. That's why cops stop people on the streets sometimes to check if they have a registration or not (even ordinary Russians are stopped sometimes too, so everybody carries his passport - that's the only legal id we have in Russia, driving licences or id cards don't count).
There's nothing horrible or frightening in being stopped, it's normal. Some cops will care if you don't have a registration, some won't. If a cop stops you to check your documents and you don't have a registration, he has a right (according to the Russian law) to take you to police station and to fine you. He doesn't have rights to detain you for longer than 3 hours (except special cases), or to deport you from Russia (this is done by court decree only).
From my own experience, police never stops or checks women, especially foreigners.
The problem is that sometimes cops use the registration regulation to make money on it. A cop stops a foreigner on the street, checks his passport, sees that he doesn't have a registration (even if 72 hours haven't passed yet) and says something like: "Ok, big problem, pay hundred dollars or go prison". Clearly, this is a real crap, they just want a bribe. If you want, you can pay him a bribe, or you can show them that you know your rights and they'll leave you alone.
Your rights: If less than 72 hours have passed since you arrived in Russia (or in any Russian city) - excluding holidays and weekends - you have not broken any regulations and laws, so you don't even have to pay any fines (refer to Federal Law #115 - 26/07/02, Article 20-1 - see description at the beginning of this page).
If more than 72 hours have passed, and you haven't registered your visa, then it is considered that you made an "administrative infrigement" and you're subject to the Russian administrative codex regulations. The new Russian administrative codex, which became effective on the 1st July 2002 is implemented by the Russian Federal Law # 195-FZ (30 Dec '02). The Article 18.3 (Federal Law #195-FZ) states that in case of such infringement a fine up to 1000 R ($30 US) may be imposed, and also the foreigner who made such infringement may be (but not necesserily will be) deported (sent out) of Russia. Also, the police has a right to take you to the police station for not longer than 3 hours, if it is necessary to learn who you are and to give you an invoice for the fine. That's all. As you see, the worst thing that can actually happen with the police if you don't register your visa at all is 3 hours in the police and maximum a $30 US fine. However, you might be deported, and that is a big problem, so we strongly advise you to register your visa.
What to do: If you believe that you didn't make any infridgements (72 hours haven't passed yet), then you can refer to the Law #115 (from 26/07/02) and if that doesn't help, contact your embassy and to tell them you're being harassed by police. In this case, the policeman will be fired.
If you know that you broke the law, it's better to be nice and to bribe. If you don't want to do it and want to get an official invoice (according to Fed. Law #195-FZ, Article 18.3), you might have to go to police station where they'll file a special 'act' and fine you officially for not more than $100 US. They can also start procedures to send you out of Russia. In that case, you should contact your embassy.

Problem Situation - Customs.
If, for example, you haven't registered your visa and were not stopped by police or were stopped but always paid the bribes, you might have problems with customs or passport control officials. When my friend came to me once a few years ago, she didn't register her visa (we thought it'd be interesting to see what happens). She was never checked or stopped by police, so that was ok. But when she was leaving Russia, she was stopped by customs control and they wanted to fine her for not having the registration (the maximum fine is, according to the Fed. Law #195-FZ, Article 18.3 is $30 US). So the immigration officer told her something like: "money, money... credit cards.... cheques... no registration... pay pay..." (he obviously had problems articulating English words). She said that she has a registration and showed him some paper attached to her passport (there are many little papers). He asked money again, but she showed the paper again. So, he thought that she was silly or maybe he didn't want to bother (especially that she said she didn't have money), so he didn't fine her.
My advice if you're in such situation: 1) play silly, show some papers (as many as you can find) and make it seem as if you think that's the registration; 2) show you don't have any money, even credit cards. Success isn't guaranteed, but you increase the chance that the immigration officer will not want to involve and will switch to someone else.
HOWEVER, I strongly recommend you not to lead the situation to such extremes and to register your visa, and play according to the rules. Then everything will be fine.

Disclaimer: We are not legal advisors, and we do not claim that all the information in this section is necessarily correct. We attempted to make all the information presented in the Russian Visa section of this site as accurate and up-to-date to possible, a lot of work was done, but visa and visa registration rules and regulations change so often that we can't guarantee anything. So, we are not liable or responsible for anything, ok?

Your Comments and Additions
If you had an interesting experience with a registration or would like to share some information with the other travelers, please send us your feedback. We'll appreciate it very very much!

Comment (received 28/06/02): I have a question. I got a Visa from Greece, where it was written, that I am a Legal Adviser and I was told, that I do not have to register. I did not register and even at custom I did not have any problem. Can you tell me, if it was correct in this case not to register at all or if I just got lucky ?
Answer: According to the Russian laws (see above) every person should register his visa while in Russia (except under 16 years old). People with a special status (members of government delegations) should also register their visa, although not in a travel company or UVIR, but in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
So, the answer is that either you stayed less than 3 days (in this case you don't have to register) or you got lucky.

Comment (received 3/07/02): "What about arriving by train and the 72 hours rule ? I will be arriving with the Trans Siberian Express and will be in the train in Russia for about 5 days without the possibility to register trough the hotel which booked me my visa ?
Answers: Normally, the 72 hours rule starts to act after you arrived to your destination. Before that, your train ticket is the official document that confirms that you entered Russia on a specific date and that you stayed in the train and couldn't register. In that case, you should register 72 hours after your first stop (hop off). For example, if you're coming from Beijing to Moscow and stop in Irkutsk at least for one night, your visa should better be registered (and it will be, if you stay in a hotel).

Comment (received 3/07/02): "I disagree with you: playing silly worked in that case [referring to this part of the text - ed.], but it's just a case. In general, one should avoid being brought to KPZ- if ever then have a fine written officially. Bribing business is very developped... they stop just anybody. (living in moscow!)
Answer: Well, you're right, it's better to avoid going to KPZ (the camera of preliminary retention) and that's why we strongly recommend to register your visa 72 hours after arrival.
However, we recommend also to see in terms of time / money / experience what you need the most. If the police tells you that you should pay $1000 and then you won't be taken to KPZ, then I think it's better to go to KPZ and to write an official fine of $50-$100 max, you'll spend about 3 hours, but save $900, I think there are not many people reading this who earn $300 in 1 hour... Otherwise, if you see that the police wants to fine you for $50 only and then everything will be ok (in other words he wants a bribe), and you do not have any interest of seeing what Russian police stations are like, then I think it's better to pay at the spot and forget about everything... So, it really depends on the situation, but there's also a space for bargaining. The maximum price is $100 US and 3 hours of time, the minimum -- nothing.

Comment (received 20/08/02): I'm going to arrive at St petersburg on Saturday night, and leave for Helsinky on the next day(Sunday). Should I have my visa registered? On weekend, I think I can't. Are there any problem at customs?
Answer: According to the Russian immigration laws, a foreigner should have his visa registered in 3 working days after his arrival. In your case, you don't have to register your visa. You would need to register it only if you were leaving on Wednesday or later.

Comment (received 18/10/02): " I also have a question. I have been making working trips to Saratov, Russia for a couple of years. Usually we stay in apartments in Saratov without registering, and have one night in Moscow the night before our flight home so that the hotel registers us and we are 'legal' for customs at Sheremetyevo. This time I will be staying the night before departure in an apartment in Moscow so will not get registered there. A hotel in Saratov has said they will register us before we go to Moscow, but for one day only (we have six month multi-entry visas). Thus our registration will not be valid on the actual day of departure. People I work with think that if you register somewhere and then move to another city, you then have another 72 hours to register at the new city. If so we will have no
problems on departure. Is this true? "
Answer: Hi. I'm surprised that your registration was ok for the customs, because it was starting after you already crossed the Russian border (usually they check that it starts not later than 3 days after you arrived). Anyway, according to Decree 212 (26/04/91), Chapter 3, Article 20 (this is a basic law regulating the stay of foreigners in Russia), every hotel should register their guests for the whole period of the visa, if it's not longer than 3 months. If it is a longer one, they should register it for 3 months. If the hotel in Saratov doesn't agree to register your visas anyway, you should go to the travel company that issued your visa support (invitation letters), they are OBLIGED to register you. For example, if you apply for business or tourist visa support through our site, you are given an address of the office in Moscow and St. Petersburg where you can register your visa. You should definitely contact the travel company that makes your invitation letters and demand them to register your visa. If they don't, they're breaking the law. Of course, if the travel company registers your visa, they'll do it for the whole period of your visa.
The rules about 72 hours are a bit hazy, so generally, it's better to register for the whole period within the first 72 hours of your arrival to Russia. So, I recommend you to go to your travel company, but if it doesn't work, just go to any hotel (or hostel) in the first 72 hours and buy the cheapest rooms there for 1 night only (you're not even obliged to stay there). They should register your visa for the whole period then, and you won't have any problems. 


Comment (posted 19/12/02): "Who wants to go to that fucking country?
Police state at its real value! Fuck them! I will stay in Montana!"
Answer: Ok, fucking stay in Montana.. And I won't go to to America also, because they check people too thoroughly at the airports. As if everybody is potentially a criminal! Police state at its real value!
It's just that every country has its own strange attempts to keep everything secure. And if you travel to Russia, you won't have to walk on the streets hiding from police and covering your face, that they won't recognize you're a foreigner. Just take it easy: you might have a few passport and visa checks, but if everything is ok (you have a visa and a registration), everything's going to be ok.


Comment (posted 21/12/02): "an iformation, if I go to UVIR to register my visa, it is necessary I present special letter from agency that invited me, or it ie enoght I tell them where I live(apartment)
Thank you"
Answer: If you live in an apartment, officially, you should have a letter from the landlord where he says he doesn't mind you living in his apartment. It should be notarized. Every notary knows the form of the letter, so you can either ask the landlord, or do it yourself: come to any notary, he'll make the letter, and the landlord should sign it in front of the notary. Then you take this letter to the company that issued your visa support (invitation) and they should register your visa themselves. You should go to OVIR only if you had a personal invitation or if the agency that issued your visa support is lazy, and they don't want to queue in OVIR themselves.

Comment (posted 28/12/02): "Hi! I spend part of my year in a small village in southern Russia, where I collect folklore, drink, sing, dance and farm. Although I live with friends, I have always gone there on a tourist or business visa, because the local OVIR officials were unable to figure out how to issue me an invitation (they are not used to foreigners). At any rate, the local police have registered me for years, until a new head lady told me last summer that since my invitation was issued by a travel agency located in St. Petersburg, I had to go there and register, then return to the village and register a second time with the local authorities. She threatened to deport me, and finally I sent my visa (and my children's visas) to St. Petersburg with travellers and sat without my visa for a week until my visa returned. As far as I understand, I should be able to register in any hotel and not even deal with the witch lady. Is this not true? I also would like to have a hard copy of my rights and the registration regulations to show to this lady. She is out to get me and is very nasty. By the way, there is a hotel in a town about five miles from my village. However, since they are not used to having foreigners in this area, is it possible that this small hotel would not be authorized to register me? Please help me if you can. I am going to my village for two weeks in January, and I don't want to spend my time running from the police!
Thanks!
Mary Reichert
Seattle, WA"
Answer: Unfortunately, this woman has all the rights to do what she's doing. According to the Russian laws, you should be registered by the inviting party. If your invitation is a personal one and was made by a person from this village, you should be registered in local OVIR (there should be a landlord letter where he agrees to have you living in his house). If your invitation is a tourist one, you should register your visa at the company that issued it. If their office is in St. Petersburg, you can just drop in when you arrive to Russia, register in this company, and then continue your way to the village. It will be the easiest thing to do. To this local head woman you can say that you're just visiting your friends, that's all.

Comment (posted 19/01/03): "My question is about the three days rule. You are saying here that those three days "including holidays and weekends". I have read the Law itself and it says only about BUSSINESS days. I've read them both, the old one of 26 APR 1991 and the new one of 25 Jul 2002. The new one does not mention the passport registration at all. It also does not cancel the old one which means that the registration is still required. Still it is not said anywhere that 3 days include weekends and holidays. Could you please point that part in any of those two regulations which states that inclusion. May there be another one we are not aware of which states that. Thank you."
Answer: Hello. The new law states that you should register your visa in three business days (I believe I gave a reference in the article above). It's true that we wrote a month ago "including weekends and holidays", because at that moment it was not clear if it is indeed 3 business or normal days. Now it is clarified, it is 3 business days. (Dmitri)

Comment (posted 26/01/03): Hey There! I might have a problem with my russian visa. Don't Know, and it all twirls around...
I've been working-living in Moscow for 10 yrs. Married to a Moscow Russian Girl for 8 years.
For the past 7 years a visa agency was doing my multiple business visa. They shut down last year, and at the sametime, the place where I work, offered to do my visa invitation. When it came to registration, they registered me by registering with one of the hotels.
I never had it this way, and actually don't like it. I have also quit working for the company for other reasons. Now I'm worried. Is that a legit visa registration? My visa started & registered in July 2003.
Question is, with all the situation happening in russia and the world, it's getting hectic to get proper visas and registration.
I'm married, and perhaps there is another way out?
And also, another final note, My US passport was issued in Moscow in 1999. But it's a different type of passport, and everytime I'm at the border guards, the passport is constantly checked hiddeously. I found out that the US will issue a new passport the way it is done in the states, but they state you will need a new russian visa at the same time.
Suggestions?
Answer: "Hi, I can't answer your question about the US passport, I think you should contact the US embassy, if they say it's ok, it's ok, maybe it would be helpful if they write you an official paper that your passport is legitimate and stamp and sign it for officials.
Regarding your visa registration: first thing, don't worry. second: the fact that you're married to a Russian won't help. The only thing you need to make sure is to look at your passport and see until what date you have your registration (it should be written on the stamp). If you can't find it, ask your wife, maybe she will (cause it's in Russian language usually). If you see that you're registered for the whole period of your visa validity, or at least covers the date you will leave Russia next time, it's absolutely ok, I believe, and you shouldn't worry. If your registration finishes before your visa expire or before you will leave Russia, you should think now about where you can register your visa. Perhaps, going to a cheap hotel again would be ok. There are also some companies that do the registration only, but I can't recommend you any.
Also, I recommend you next time to get your visa support through a reputable agency, that won't disappear. For example, you can use our partner company to apply for visa support next time, they are very reliable and helpful, and you won't have any problems with registration whatsoever."


Comment (received 4/02/03): "Privyet! The last time I was in Russia (Sept 2000), I had my tourist visa registered at a Moscow hotel where I stayed for one night and then departed for Sochi the next day. (btw, all flight/hotel reservations and the visa were arranged through a travel company in New York City.) Passport control at Sheremetyevo I stamped my visa with my destination. I stayed at a friend's apartment in Sochi. Upon leaving Sochi, passport control at Adler Aiport stopped me and said that I had failed to register my visa again. The officer managed to say a few words in English: "big problem", "polizei", and "no flight to Moscow." I had to bribe my way out and was terrified that I would be detained again in Moscow. I stayed at the same hotel in Moscow for one night and they stamped my visa again. Thankfully, I had no problems at Sheremetyevo II. I'm planning on a return trip to Sochi again this Spring to visit my friends on a tourist visa and would like to avoid the same unpleasantries. Some questions: 1) When a hotel registers your visa, are they only doing it for the length of your hotel stay? and 2) Must I register again in Sochi if I'm living in my friend's apartment?"
Answer: The new law doesn't state (like the previous one) that a hotel should register your visa for the whole period of its validity. So now it really depends on how you arrange with the hotel. I think the best thing to do is to tell them you're going to stay there very long, and that it would be better they register it for the whole period.
Anyway, when you arrive to another city, you should register there again (during the first 3 business days).
In your case, if you're staying in your friend apartment, you would have to register at his/her place, and it should be done in a local OVIR (immigration office). However, it might take you some time and queues (and maybe bribes). So, what I would do in the same situation: I'd go with my Russian friend and find a cheap hotel in Sochi, and buy there one night, and ask them to register my visa till the date I want. If they refuse, I'd say, come on, you don't want to register me again every day.. I think it's the easiest way, and I'm more than sure that it'll work.


Comment (recieved 21/02/03): "Is it true that I need to register my visa within 72hours upon arrival of Russia, as well as registration in EVERY russian cities that I spend > 72 hours in?"
Answer: Yes, it is true, you should register during the first 3 business days (excluding holidays and weekend) in every Russian city. However, if you made your visa support through a good reputable company (like the one that provides visa suppor through our site), they'll give you all the information and their addresses in Russia, where you will be able to register. Also, if you're staying in a hotel, they will register you anyway.
However, what is important is that there are only two people that can check your registration: cops, and passport control officials in the airports and Russian border. If you're sure you won't meet any of them, then it should be ok. For example, if you're going to be arriving in Irkutsk, then camping on lake Baikal, then going somewhere else, then arriving to Ulan-Ude, then going to Vladivostok, how can anybody check when you left the city you were registered last in, and arrived at this new place? You can always say you left just yesterday. :-)


Comment (received 24/02/03): " I understand that 1. you can enter russia after your visa activation date,not before. 2. you can leave Russia before your visa expire,not after. So, scenario: My Fly arrives St Petersburg, I get registed in the hotel for the whole period of my visa,say till the 15/06. I got on the Trans-seb, but got problem with accom at Lake baikel, had to move on quickly to UlanBattar, so I take the train 2 days earlier and get to the boader on 13/06 instead. Now would I get in to trouble because the Hotel registed me to the 15/06? "
Answer: Points 1 and 2 are absolutely right. You won't have any problems if your registration expires later than you're leaving Russia. First, it is absolutely ok legally, second, even if it wasn't ok, there's always a chance you had to leave earlier, or that a hotel just stamped your visa for longer than you actually stayed there. So, don't worry, everything will be fine.

Comment (received 8/03/03): "I understnad that according to the new rules I have to register my visa in every russian city that I spend 72 hours in. What happens if I go to Vladivostok, stay 1-2 days at a hotel (getting registration for same period) and then travel around in Primorsky Kray for 10 days camping) without further registration? Do I actually need a registration for the whole period (from a hotel or Uvir in a nearby city) if I go camping or sightseeing at the countrysite in Russia?
I just came back after a trip to Salekhard (Yamal). The hotels up there do not put a stamp in your visa even though they say they make registration. Actually I didn't have any problems when I was leaving Russia, but I was wondering what I should tell the immigration officer in Sheremetovo if he would have asked me about why I had a lack of two weeks registration in my visa? (this was before the introduction of the immigration card)."
Answer: Ok, let me think. You'll be able to deal with police by just saying that you arrived to whatever place you are in "just yesterday", so they won't be able to prove anything. As for the customs, the best thing is of course to ask a hotel to put a registration for the whole period. In fact what hotels do is that they put two stamps: one showing how long you're staying in the hotel in fact, and the other one -- registration stamp -- can be for the whole period of your visa. If you can't get this one, then try to get it from the travel agency that made your invitation. If your travel agency doesn't have an office in Vladivostok, they can make a special letter, which you will need to bring to local UVIR, and they'll register you. Don't go to UVIR if you don't have this letter. Also, what you could do is when you come to Moscow, come to the registration office of the company that issued your invitation, and ask them to stamp for the two weeks you weren't there. That is not completely legal, but it is also better to do so for the company, cause they may have problems as well if you're stopped at the border.
In any case, the law doesn't explicitly say what happens if you have registrations only for "fragmented" periods, it only says you should register in every Russian city, where you stay longer than 3 days, and that you will do. All the rest -- they will just not know you were camping. Tell them you went to your friends in a village, or were traveling in train, or something else...
So, the main thing I recommend you is that you have registration stamp either of the place of stay you will specify in your migration card, or of the travel agency that issued your invitation. If have one of these, you should be ok. (but see the disclaimer below).


Comment (13/03/03): "So further to the last couple of messages (this is getting quite tricky), what happens if you are on a whirlwind visit across Russia and you don't stay longer than 72 hours in one town? In theory, I assume that you don't need any registrations at all!!! I guess such a thing would happen to TransSiberian passengers who have paid for multiple segments with several short stays in between (or to me, that just likes to fly quickly everywhere)"
Answer: This is a good question. You're right: in theory, you don't have to register anywhere. However, to avoid possible problems, I would recommend you to register either at (1) The agency that issued your visa support (it's enough to do that once — they should do it for the whole validity of your visa); or (2) At the hotel that is specified in your invitation, or any other hotel, if that is not possible.
Also, keep the train tickets with you to be able to prove that you didn't need to register.


Comment (14/03/03): "I encountered a slight problem on my last visit to Russia when I needed the flexibility of a private visa rather that the restrictions of a tourist visa (where all hotels have to be prebooked and prepaid for, and the status of business visas was unclear for a while there). I got a friend in Moscow to organise the invitation, even though they would be on holidays and out of Russia (I was assured they didn't have to be with me to register). And then when my itinery was finalised I ended up getting a direct flight to Ekaterinburg. Even though I was assured I could register anywhere - the dramas which were created by having an invitation from a different city than the registartion city are just not worth, but I won the argument with OVIR eventually. Interestingly, as far as I understand from previous answers to questions, it seems that business visas are no longer automatically registered for the entire stay and have to be registered at each place a person stays. Then why get it registered by the inviting organisation in the first place?!?"
Answer: First of all, I don't agree that a private visa offers more flexibility, than a tourist one. For example, you had to go to OVIR with a private visa — if you make a tourist visa through a good professional agency, there's no need to queue and argue with OVIRs.
All visas (including tourist, business, or private) should be registered at every place a person stays for longer than 72 hours. However, travel agencies do it in such a way, that they put a registration stamp on your visa for the whole period of its validity, so that it's not necessary (although recommended) to register it every time you're in a new place of stay. Travel agencies are interested themselves not to have any problems with your registration (because in the end - it's them who are responsible), so they prefer to arrange everything in such a way, that minimizes your risks.

Comment (17/03/03): (excerpts) "A comment regarding Russian visas for Australians. In the past I have generally used either a Business Visa or Tourist Visa.The Tourist Visa has commonly been registered for my entire stay in Russia at the first hotel I stayed in. There was never any registering required or suggested by a travel agency in Moscow. Now it is specifically stated by the Russian Embassy in Australia that it is compulsory that ALL hotel accomodation must be booked and paid for (and non refundable!) if you want a tourist visa, otherwise you don't get the visa at all without the accomodation voucher as proof. [...]
Answer: It is true, that according to the rules of some (!) consulates, like the one in Australia, accommodation should be fully booked before your stay, in order to be able to get a visa. However, what most travel agencies do: they write on your visa support letter that you DO have a hotel booked and paid for. They just don't specify the amount. So, there's no way of knowing what amount was paid: maybe it was $300 for all accommdation, maybe just $30 as a prepayment. Anyway, there's written on your visa support letter you have a hotel booked, so there are no problems with that.
In fact, you can consider the usual visa support fee of $30 US you pay to a travel agency as a fee for a room reservation. However, it doesn't necesarily mean you will stay in this hotel.

Comment (28/03/03): "A short question to save time.
I've never bothered to register my Visa before but this time I thought I'd give it a try, would be nice to avoid all the arguments with cops for once :). I have a private invitation and I will stay at his place. What documents do I have to present to the UVIR (some sort of evidence that I'm actually living there or?) and how long does it take? I can't seem to find the answer on your otherwise excellent website..."
Answer: The Russian person you will be staying with should present a special landlord's letter, where he claims he doesn't mind your staying at his apartment. This Russian person should be registered ("propiska") in the apartment you will live. This letter should be certified at the notary office. See a sample of it in English and Russian - Landlord's Letter.

Comment (9/04/03): "I am citizen of Turkey and would like to visit Moscow and a few other cities in Russia. While in Moscow I plan to stay in one of the apartments shown in your website. Here is the problem. Your partner company which provides visa support informed me that they cannot issue an invitation for Turkish citizens. That's not a big issue in itself, as I can get an invitation from a hostel or hotel. However, all the hostels and hotels I contacted told me that the law changed recently and they can register my visa only for the period I stay with them.This contradicts with what I read in this website. What is best way to deal with my case in your opinion? How can I get an invitation and register my visa without problems if I wanna stay an apartment in Moscow?"
Answer: In fact there's no explicit directive for hotels to register visas only for the period a foreigner stays with them. But most of them choose to play safe and register not for the whole duration of visa. I would propose you several options:
(a) Contact the apartment operator directly and ask them about approved visa support agency. Most probably, they will be able to help you. If you make visa support through an agency, your visa will be registered at the office of this agency for the whole period of its validity.
(b) If you come for 3 working days only, you don't need to register your visa. You can come on Saturday and leave on Wednesday (that is already 5 days), without having to register at all.

Comment (11/04/03): "What happens if I were to stay in a hotel for a few days and later in an apartment or with a friend for some more time (all in the same city)? Suppose the hotel registered my visa only for the period I booked a room. Later if militia checks my passport will I get into trouble? Do I need to register my visa for the entire period of my stay in Russia or will I be OK if I register within 72 hours no matter for how long my visa gets registered?"
Answer: Generally, it is always better to have your visa registered for the whole period of your stay, so if your visa agency does it, it's good (if you apply through waytorussia.net - it will be done).
If you register just for the first 2 days for example, and then stay with your friend, you may (not necessarily) have problems with police (if they stop you), but customs should be ok. I want to point out that it's just my opinion, and there's no evidence it happens in this way all the time. As I said, it's better to register for the whole period.
The message is to always check when applying for visa support, if the visa agency will register your visa.

Question (received 7/5/03): "Im going to get my visa support through way to russia. Im renting apartments in moscow and st petrsburg. But im starting my trip in vladivostok and staying one or two nights in hotels (cheap ones hopefully) khabarovsk, ulan ude and irkutsk etc. Can you tell me how the registration procedure will work in a situation like this, I think i understand but im not 100% sure.
Thanks very much
Joseph"
Answer: The hotels will be registering you for the period you are staying there. When you arrive to Moscow, you can register in the visa agency's office.

Comment (received 7/5/03): " Comment (posted 19/12/02): "Who wants to go to that fucking country?
Police state at its real value! Fuck them! I will stay in Montana!"
this guy is a real crack head hillbilly. everyone knows in america that people from montana are animal humping inbred gun toting militia. "

Question (received 12/5/03): "Great site! very helpful information. I have a question about my situation, and would appreciate any recommendations. I am accompanying a group of US students to St Petersburg; they are going for a summer study program, I am going merely as a chaperone for the flight. Our visa invitations came from St Petersburg University. However, once I arrive in St Pete, I am 'free,' and, in the 10 days that I have, would like to visit 2 other cities where I have friends: Novgorod and Moscow. Question: if I stay in St Pete for, say, 2 days, then go to Novgorod (where I can have my visa registered at Intourist Hotel), and then possibly even to Moscow, must I still get my visa registered in St Pete? Note that my invitation came from the university there, but if I'm actually in St Pete less than 3 consecutive days, will it be sufficient to have my visa registered by Intourist in Novgorod? Thanks for any advice."
Answer: As your invitation is made through St. Petersburg state university, it is only them who can and who should register you. Novgorod Intourist hotel will probably register you too (and a hotel in Moscow as well), but I would recommend you to make the registration in St. Petersburg university. In this case, perhaps, you won't have to register after at all.

Question (6/05/03): "I have a private invitation and visa to visit russia. I will be staying in Kolomna for about 3 days, then visitonmg Moscow,for 2 days, then St. Petersburg for 5 days, and then back to Kolomna for 3 days before returning to Canada.
The private invitation was obtained in Kolomna.
Where and when do I need to register my visa?"
Answer: You should register it in the local OVIR in the area where you will be living (which is also the OVIR that issued your invitation), so the answer is Kolomna.

Question (8/05/03): "How to register the visa within 72 days if you go for the 7 day Transsiberian ride, immediately after landing in Moscow? I suppose that there is no OVIR representative or office in Yaroslav railway station !"
Answer: Use your train tickets as a proof you were not able to register your visa.

New: Question (18/05/03): "Hi I want to stay in an appartement in St.Petersburg for few days but I want to buy the visa support by your partner travel agency.
1.,Is it Ok?
2., In this case need I the "Landlord letter"?
3., How much USD is to register my visa in St.Petersburg?
I am waiting for your answer.
[...] .
Answer: Yes, it's ok, your only consideration in such cases should be the ability to register your visa after and our partner agency provides this in St. Petersburg for $25 US. If you have a tourist visa, you don't need the "landlord letter", if you have a business visa, you will need a notary proofed landord letter. Landlords usually know what it is, and can make it without a problem (it takes only 20-30 minutes).


New: Question (25/05/03): "I have received official invitation from a friend in St Petersburg, but she tells me that OVIR now require a certificated translation of insurance documents. I imagine this is going to be very expensive. Do I really have to do this?"
Answer: Usually, it's not OVIR, but the Russian consulate where you make your visa that asks for all this. If you have time to queue twice, I would advise not to translate documents first and try to get registered. If the OVIR you register in turns out to be too greedy, you can use Russian translation companies' services (it would cost about $15 to translate and notary proof one paper). It'll take one day, and then you can bring the docs back to OVIR.

New: Question (20/06/03): "[...]I will arrive in Moscow (from Canada) on a Saturday, stay three nights/four days (only two business days). I have two questions:
1) Do I have to get my Visa registered?
2) Do I still require a Visa?
[...]"
Answer: No, you don't have to get your visa registered if you stay less than 3 business days. However, as a Candian citizen, you still need a visa.

New: Question (23/06/03): "i arrived to sheremetivaII after a 12 hour plane delay,waited in a long line,the customs officer,a chubby woman,looked at me,so i smiled,she smiled back,then she told me to sit aside for a few minutes,coz they need to check something,it was the 30th of december...i stayed for 3 hours waiting there with a few other men,then our travel agency sent someone who bribed the cops with a bottle of shampagne(2$)and some candies...they stamped the passports and let us in...untill now i dont understand what happened..."
Answer: Your travel agency has a funny way... I wouldn't use them.

New: Question (24/6/03): "[...] I bought a 3 month visa from a travel agency in England and was told by them to go to a particular travel agency in St Petersburg to register it, which I did. They registered my visa there for $25, but only for 1 day (so the visa was stamped only from 19th - 20th July), and told me that if I wanted them to register it for my entire stay I must pay them $10 per day. Of course, I don't want to do this, but if I don't will I get in trouble when I leave Russia? and will I probably by fined?"
Answer: Normally, a stamp for 1 day only would be enough. However, here everything depends on how loyal the customs officer (or a police man who stops you for document check) is. So, it is more secure to get registered for the whole period. In your case you should contact your agency in UK and ask their advice and next time choose a visa support agency that provides registration for the whole period of your stay.

New: Question (26/6/03): "I'm going to Irkutsk, Russia on August 6th till August 20th. My inviation says the 19th, so do I need to leaver early or would the extra day really not matter?
Also where is the place located that I need to register since I'm going thur Moscow and just changing planes?"
Answer: You should leave before or on the date your visa expires. The registration should be made in the office of the inviting company or organisation (if your visa is tourist, business, or student) or in a local OVIR (if your visa is private).