Russian Visas

The Russian Federation requires all foreign nationals to obtain a Russian Visa prior to entry, except for those covered under International Agreements.

A visa must be obtained prior to entering the Russian Federation. (Consular offices of the Russian Federation do not recommend purchasing tickets to Russia before obtaining a visa).

The visa is attached directly to your foreign travel document and has the following information:  Last name, First name (in both Russian and English lettering), date of birth, sex, citizenship, passport number, date of visa issuance along with permitted duration of stay in the Russian Federation, invitation number or a Telex number, visa period, purpose of travel, and the information of the inviting agency or the inviting person, and the visa multiplicity.

Attention Russian citizens with dual-citizenship!

Please be aware that in accordance with Article 6 of Federal Law № 114-ФЗ “On exiting and entering the Russian Federation”, effective as of 15 August, 1996, states that, “Russian citizens may exit and enter the territory of the Russian Federation only with valid documentation that confirms their identity as a Russian citizen abroad.”

Likewise, Paragraph 1, Article 6 of Federal Law № 62-ФЗ “On citizenship of the Russian Federation”, effective as of 31 May, 2002 states that, “Russian citizens who have obtained citizenship of another country, are regarded only as Russian citizens by the Russian government, except for in cases in which international agreements made by the Russian Federation or federal laws supercede that. The attainment of citizenship from a foreign government does not automatically relinquish one's Russian citizenship.     

Thus, it is against the law for Russian citizens to obtain a visa using a foreign passport!

Categories of Visas

Depending on the purpose of travel to the Russian Federation, foreign citizens may be issued the following visa types:  Diplomatic, Official, Standard, Transit, or Temporary.

Visa Durations

Single-Entry allows the foreign national a one-time entry into the borders of the Russian Federation.

Double-Entry allows the foreign national to enter and exit the Russian border of no more than two times.

Multi-Entry allows for unlimited entry into the Russian Federation within the visa period.

Do Note! In accordance with the Agreement between the Russian Federation and the United States of America on the simplification of visa formalities for nationals of the Russian Federation and nationals of the United States of America effective September 9, 2012. US citizens are able to obtain multiple-entry business, private, humanitarian and tourist visas for a stay of no more than 6 months starting from the date of each entry that are valid for three years (36 months) from the date of issue of the visa.

1. A multiple-entry visa allows subsequent trips with a purpose other than what was initially indicated in the visa. Thus, the new purpose of each trip and information on the new hosting organization must be indicated in the Migration Card form in order to clear Russian customs and border control.
2. The passport of the applicant should be valid for at least full six months after the visa expiry

EU citizens with a Multiple-Entry visa, under the Shengen agreement zone may stay in Russia a period of no more than 90 days total within a period of 180 days. In the case that this rule is violated, you may face penalties, the maximum of which being denied a Russian visa.