How can a foreigner apply for and extend a visa to Russia?

Everything about a visa to Russia. Available, cheap and fast!

There are several types of visas for entry into the Russian Federation.

Depending on the purpose and duration of the visit to the country, there are 6 types of visas. Below we will talk about each of them.

• The most popular type is a tourist visa to Russia . It is issued by those foreigners who are going to travel around Russia for the purpose of tourism. This visa is valid for up to 1 month and can be either single or double entry. This type is the simplest and most cost-effective.
• a business visa to Russia especially for entrepreneurs . It is suitable for those who come to Russia for business meetings or public speaking. A business visa to Russia allows a citizen to conduct activities in the country that bring him profit without official employment here. For example, if you are a surgeon, then with such a visa you will not be able to get a job in a hospital, but you will be able to speak at a medical forum and earn money from it. There are two types of Russian business visa: Single-entry business visa to Russia. In this case, it is valid for 30 days.
• Double-entry Russian business visa, valid for 90 days.
• Multiple entry business visa to Russia. It allows you to enter the Russian Federation an unlimited number of times within a period of six months to five years.

Types of visa

The entry document is classified according to several characteristics: the number of border crossings (multiple, single), validity period (for example, 3, 30, 90, 180 days), purpose of the trip. It is the purpose of the trip that determines the type and name of the visa. There are 6 types in total.

Tourist visa

It is the most common type of document. A tourist visa to Russia is needed by travelers who come to get acquainted with the local culture and history, on vacation, and on excursions.

Tourist visa to the Russian Federation

It opens for up to 30 days. This time is quite enough to visit major cultural and historical sites, get acquainted with local cuisine, customs and traditions. Many tourists come to Russia for a specific purpose, for example, to visit the Bolshoi and Maly theaters, or a music festival. The latter are especially often held in the summer. And the brightest of them are concentrated in Kuban, Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Travelers often come to Russia for health improvement and beach holidays.

The Krasnodar region is filled with such resorts. Here you can engage in active sports, as well as try yourself as a green tourist and admire the beauty of nature.

A tourist visa can also be used for other purposes of travel, for example tourism can be combined with a business visit. If your plans are to participate in business negotiations or a conference or exhibition (without transporting additional equipment), this type of permit is quite suitable for entering the territory of the Russian Federation.

The undoubted convenience is that obtaining this type of visa to Russia will not be difficult.

How to apply for a visa

First of all, you will need to receive a tourist invitation from the receiving party, then collect the necessary package of documents and apply with them to the Russian Consulate in your country, visa center or travel agency.

If you choose the latter option, the document can be processed much faster than through a consulate or center, however, the cost of the service will be much higher. The processing time for a tourist visa to Russia can take from 1 to 2 weeks - it all depends on the specific consulate. In exceptional cases, the period for issuing a visa may be reduced to 1-2 days; the decision to reduce the period is made personally by the consul.

Consulate General of the Russian Federation in New York

There are two types of tourist visa to Russia:

• Single entry (allows you to enter and leave once within the established time frame);
• Double entry (allows you to enter and leave twice at the same time).

An important fact should be taken into account: if the duration of the trip exceeds 2 weeks, additional documents may be required: a detailed travel itinerary, confirmation of hotel payment for the entire stay in the Russian Federation.

Tourist invitation

A tourist invitation to Russia is a document issued on a special form of the tour operator with a stamp and signature. The invitation consists of two parts:

1. Confirmation of admission of a foreign tourist;
2. Voucher from a Russian travel company.

Confirmation of acceptance of a foreigner and tourist voucher

To issue an invitation to a Russian travel company, you need to provide a couple of documents:

• A copy of the passport pages with personal data and photos;
• Application form for issuing a tourist invitation for foreigners.

The invitation to apply for a tourist visa to Russia in 2021 should be accompanied by a standard package of documents:

• 2 color photos,
• A completed application form,
• internal passport,
• receipt of payment of the visa fee,
• You may also need medical insurance, ticket and hotel reservations, and proof of solvency.

Within 7 days, a foreigner must register a tourist visa (register with migration authorities). This can be done at the territorial point of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs at the entrance to the hotel or at the travel agency where the voucher was issued. If you violate the registration rules, problems may arise with the Migration Service.

Example of filling out a migration card

A question of cost

From February 3, 2021, the Russian Foreign Ministry introduced a unified tariff system for issuing Russian visas. A single entry permit now costs 80 US dollars, a double entry permit costs 128 US dollars, and a multiple entry permit costs 240 US dollars. For an urgent visa, you need to pay 2 times more. In addition, prices for citizens of the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, Japan and China do not change and remain the same as they were when the agreements were concluded.

To issue a tourist invitation to Russia, you will need to pay from 600 to 800 rubles, depending on the duration of the trip (14 or 30 days).

Business visa

A business visa to Russia is issued for entrepreneurs who want to open or buy a business in the Russian Federation, who visit the country in order to find new partners and expand the supply market.

Example of a business visa to the Russian Federation

Work Visa

A work visa to Russia is most often issued by residents of nearby countries. A large number of Ukrainians, Belarusians, and residents of Kazakhstan legally work on the territory of the Russian Federation.

Russia often exchanges qualified personnel with China, Brazil and other countries that are members of the BRICS association.

A work visa to Russia is issued for 1 or 3 years. To receive it, you must provide the visa center with an invitation from an employer officially registered in the Russian Federation, a foreign passport, a completed application form and four photos.

Example of a business invitation to the Russian Federation

If we are talking about the employment of qualified personnel, then you will also need a copy of your education diploma, a translation of your diploma and a passport. Only specialists can obtain a visa valid for 3 years. But the document is issued only on the condition that the worker will receive a salary of at least 2 million Russian rubles per year.

Usually, all the subtleties of registration are handled by the employing company.

There are private intermediary firms that offer their services. The price of services can be completely different, since no standards are established for this area of ​​activity.

Transit visa

A transit visa to Russia is the shortest. This document is required for foreigners to visit a third country when crossing the borders of the Russian Federation. This visa is issued for a period of up to 3 days. In some cases, it can be issued at the border checkpoint. Also sometimes you need to extend your visa.

Sheremetyevo airport

It depends on how long the foreigner needs to wait for his transport. So, if the flight is delayed, then you need to contact the migration service officer so that the visa is not overdue. Usually there are no difficulties in resolving this issue. It is enough to provide tickets and a visa.

Visitor visa

A private or visitor visa is issued upon an invitation to Russia from a citizen of the Russian Federation. Most often, this type of document is needed by the Russian’s relatives, friends or close acquaintances. For example, a bride who is a citizen of another country must obtain a private visa to come to Russia for the purpose of marriage.

A private visa is also required to visit burial sites of relatives. In this case, you need to submit an application to the consulate, then an invitation from a private person will not be needed.

Typically, a visitor visa is issued for a period of 30 days. In rare cases, it can be extended, for example, to undergo a course of treatment or rehabilitation in the Russian Federation.

student visa

There are many student programs. In 2015, many Russian universities entered into agreements with foreign educational institutions on student exchange. Thus, you can enroll in Russia through an exchange program or on your own. In any case, you will need a visa. Usually the university itself deals with these issues, and it also extends the visa if necessary.

Foreign students in Russia

Student visas are usually multiple-entry and allow foreigners to leave and enter the country an unlimited number of times. Most often, Ukrainians and Belarusians come to study, since these students are fluent in Russian and have no problems with adaptation. And tuition prices are almost identical to the cost of education in your home country.

It is worth noting that adults and children aged 6 years and older need to obtain a visa. Until the child reaches the age of six, a visa is not required; his name is simply entered in the parents’ foreign passport.

In past years, many new rules regarding crossing Russian borders have been introduced. Thus, sanctions were introduced that prohibit the import of certain types of products into Russian territory. This applies to large quantities intended for business activities.

Also, the 2015 sanctions froze the activities of several foreign banks, and, accordingly, the accounts of entrepreneurs. These changes led to a decrease in investment flow, but today the situation has stabilized. And the innovations of 2016 do not create any inconvenience either in the issue of obtaining a visa to Russia for US citizens or in the employment of Ukrainians.

Where and how to get a visa to Russia

Obtaining a visa in Russia takes place:

• at the Consular Section of the country's Embassy in the Russian Federation
• in special Visa Centers of the Russian Federation - organizations that provide communication between the consul and the foreign citizen submitting documents
• at travel agencies

In addition, they will check the availability of documents, the correctness of filling out the application form and provide other services that will simplify the process of obtaining a visa - they will take photos, arrange insurance (if you did not manage to do this earlier) and notify you that the visa is ready.

Features of Russian visas

According to existing Russian legislation, entry visas can be:

• 1-fold;
• 2-fold;
• multiple.

Example of a Russian visa

Most often, foreigners apply for a typical 1-entry visa. Its validity period is 30–90 days. This document gives a foreign person the opportunity to enter the territory of Russia once. Double-entry visa documents are issued for approximately the same period. At the same time, a foreigner has the right to enter the territory of Russia no more than 2 times.

The validity period of a multiple-entry visa is 6 – 12 months.

How much does a Russian visa cost for foreigners?

The price of a visa to Russia consists of:

• Service fee . This money is paid to the Consulate/Visa Center/Travel Agency for providing visa processing services in Russia. The cost of a visa to Russia for a foreigner is: 3,700 rubles or 60 euros when applying for a visa to Russia at the Russian Visa Application Center
• 2200 ₽ (38 $ / 35 € / 30 £) when obtaining a visa to Russia at the Consulate of the country of the foreign citizen

• Also, to obtain a Russian visa, an invitation letter . You can ask your hotels for it by first filling out a short form, or you can buy visa support online. Prices for a letter of invitation to Russia vary around 800-900 rubles. You can issue a tourist invitation to Russia on our partner website .
• To obtain a visa, you need to take photographs for the application form , which will cost you approximately 400 rubles.
• If you wish, you can use additional services of the visa center (filling out a form by a specialist, SMS notification about the readiness of the visa, delivery of documents to your home, etc.)

Total: the price of a tourist visa to Russia for an EU citizen will be approximately 3900 rubles (fee 2200 rubles + invitation 900 rubles + insurance 800 rubles)

How to obtain continuous stay in Russia for 5 years?

If you need a visa for five years to Russia in order to stay continuously on the territory of the state, you will have to pay attention to documents for study or work. Other options are also possible - applying for refugee status or requesting political asylum. But consideration of such cases will be long and not always successful. Therefore, you can go another way:

• find a company in the Russian Federation that can officially employ you;
• receive an invitation from her to enter the territory of the Russian Federation for the purpose of employment;
• come to the country, formalize labor relations with the inviting organization;
• before the visa expires, extend your stay at the Federal Migration Service.

Of course, this option is not suitable for everyone. Therefore, many obtain visa permits with a view to subsequently obtaining citizenship. You can also obtain a residence permit in the Russian Federation and stay in the country legally without restrictions on activities and movement within the state.

How long does it take to obtain a visa to Russia?

From the moment you submit your documents, obtaining a Russian visa takes no more than 10 days. One day should be allocated for obtaining insurance and invitations. Ultimately, the entire process will take no more than 2 weeks.

If you need to receive a document faster, you can use the express service. Then the waiting time will be reduced to three days, but it will be much more expensive - at least 2 times.

It is also worth remembering that you can start applying for a visa no earlier than six months before your trip.

Documents for obtaining a visa to Russia

So, in order to obtain a visa to Russia, a foreigner will need to collect the following package of documents:

• Completed online Russian visa application form, printed, signed and photograph 3x4cm.
• Original passport
• Invitation letter
• Medical insurance to Russia

Here are 6 steps of step-by-step instructions from the beginning of collecting documents of a citizen of a foreign state until they are sent to the Russian consulate:

• Step 1. Check that your passport is valid. The ID card is not suitable; the passport expires no earlier than 6 months after the end of the trip to Russia.
• Step 2. Receive an invitation letter (purchase visa support) . The easiest way to do this is on our partner website GoingRus . Click on the link or image:

• Step 3. Apply for a health insurance policy in Russia. the Turtle service for this .
• Step 4. Fill out the application for a Russian visa on the website https://visa.kdmid.ru/PetitionChoice.aspx
• Step 5. Print out the Russian visa application form , sign it, stick a photo, pay the fees at the Russian Consulate or at the Russian Visa Application Center.
• Step 6. Bring all collected documents to the Russian Consulate or Russian Visa Center

Please note that the visa application form only needs to be filled out at step 3, since to complete it correctly you will need information from your health insurance policy and invitation to Russia, as well as the exact dates of your trip and a list of cities you plan to visit. For the same reason, it is advisable to first collect all the documents and only then start filling out the visa application.

Features of obtaining a visitor visa

If a foreign person wishes to come to the country to visit his relatives or friends, he needs to apply for a guest visa to Russia.

The basis for obtaining this document is an invitation from a legal or private person legally residing on the territory of the Russian state. That is, the first step must be taken by a Russian awaiting the arrival of a foreign guest.

Sample of a private invitation to enter the Russian Federation

Having an invitation in hand, the foreigner addresses the employees of the Russian diplomatic institution with a corresponding application.

To obtain a visitor visa, a foreigner must submit the following documents:

1. International passport.
2. Correctly completed application form.
3. Notice from the territorial department of the Main Department of Migration Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
4. HIV certificate.
5. Photo (photo size – 3/4 cm).
6. Accompanying letter (it indicates the purpose of arrival, approximate route and contacts of the foreigner).

A visitor visa is issued to a foreign person not only for a friendly or family visit. A person has the right to apply for it even when he needs treatment on the territory of the Russian state.

Sample of filling out an application form for a visa to Russia

Upon arrival, the foreigner is obliged to register. This needs to be done within a week.

Invitation for a visa to Russia

Very often, tourists mistake a hotel reservation for a letter of invitation to Russia, which is why the consulate denies them permission to enter the country. To avoid mistakes, remember that an invitation is a document that must be received separately . The document will differ depending on the type of visa, here is a sample PDF.

The easiest way to receive an invitation is to buy an invitation to Russia on the GoingRus . It will cost approximately 850 rubles.

Required documents

To obtain permission to enter Russia, you must submit the following documents:

• the applicant’s passport, valid for at least six months after the expiration of the visa, and in the case of long-term visas - more than one and a half years from the beginning of the entry permit. Also, the passport must contain at least two blank pages;
• the original invitation, prepared accordingly, or a document replacing it;
• a form to be filled out in Russian and English. Currently, it is possible to fill out a visa application electronically;
• photograph 35*45 mm;
• medical insurance valid for the entire period of the trip;
• receipt of payment of the consular fee.