FAQ

1. Do I need a visa at all?

2. The consulate says they need an "invitation" in order to issue me a visa. What is this?

3. I booked a hotel. Does my confirmation constitute an "invitation" to Russia so that I can apply for a visa?

4. I have an invitation from Russia but the airline did not allow me to board the plane to Russia. Why?

5. My visa application was refused. Why?

6. BEFORE LEAVING FOR RUSSIA

7. REGISTRATION

8. What to do if...

8-1. I have lost my passport.

8-2. I would like to extend my stay in Russia.

8-3. Can I obtain a new visa without leaving Russia?

8-4. If the police want to check my documents...

1. Do I need a visa at all?

A Russian visa is required for nationals of most countries. However, Russia has recently established visa free regimes with several European, Asian, and South American countries. To check whether a visa free regime is applicable in your case, please contact the Russian consulate in your country. Contact info is available at: www.russianembassy.net

2. The consulate says they need an "invitation" in order to issue me a visa. What is this?

To obtain a Russian visa, you need to be provided first with visa support (an official invitation). You will then need to take your visa support to the Russian consulate in your country and be issued an actual visa.
We would be glad to provide you with visa support for tourist or business visas. You may use our fast, convenient online application.

3. I booked a hotel. Does my confirmation constitute an "invitation" to Russia so that I can apply for a visa?

Please note that the hotel booking confirmation and visa support (invitation) is not the same thing.
Some first-class hotels (such as Sheraton, Marriott, etc.) are authorized to issue visa support – but this should be confirmed with the hotel. In most cases, you will need a separate invitation from an authorized tour company in order to get a visa.
We will be glad to arrange an invitation for you via our secure online system. Tourist invitations will be processed the same or next business day, in accordance with your urgency. If you apply for a business visa, the hotel booking confirmation will not be required.

4. I have an invitation from Russia but the airline did not allow me to board the plane to Russia. Why?

An invitation enables you to apply for a Russian visa but IT IS NOT A VISA! Once you have received an invitation, you need to apply at the Russian consulate for an actual visa.
You will need to the present the consulate with the following: a completed consulate application form, invitation letter, original passport, one passport-size matte-finish photo, the consular fee, and proof of medical insurance.
We recommend that you contact your local Russian consulate to learn the visa cost and processing time and confirm the materials needed. Contact details of the Russian consulates are available at: www.russianembassy.net

5. My visa application was refused. Why?

In order to obtain a visa, it is essential that the visa application form is filled out correctly. The information you enter in the application form must match the information on your invitation. Fill out the visa form with the invitation in front of you and match the information requested field-for-field.
While there are several visa application forms (one for US passport holders, one for those who apply for a visa in the UK, etc.) and the order and wording of the questions may vary, the information required by the consulate is mostly the same in every case.
Here are the correct answers to the questions asked in the consulate application form.

Tourist visa application

• Purpose of visit – TOURISM.
• Russian institution to be visited – non-applicable. You need a tourist visa, not a business visa. Tourists are not supposed to be visiting any departments or organizations.
• Itinerary (cities to be visited) – as listed on the invitation.
• Date of entry – as listed on the invitation.
• Date of departure – as listed on the invitation.
• Number of entries – as listed on the invitation.
• Type of passport – TOURIST.
• Name and reference number of the tourist group - as listed on the invitation.
• Address of stay while in Russia – as listed on the invitation. Those who apply for a tourist visa are supposed to have booked a hotel in advance. This is why a name of a well-known hotel is always included in your invitation and indicated in Latin characters for your convenience. Please make sure to indicate this same hotel on the visa application form.
• Are any of your relatives citizens of Russia – please note that the visa type is supposed to match the actual purpose of your visit. If you indicate that you have relatives in Russia, the consulate may want to make sure that the actual purpose of your trip is not a private visit, but actually tourism. Additional documentation (such as hotel payment confirmation) may be required. At the same time, experience shows that the answer to this question is almost never checked by the consulate.

• Purpose of visit - BUSINESS.
• Russian institution to be visited – please indicate the name of the invitation issuer. This information has been sent you along with an invitation.
• Itinerary (cities to be visited) – as listed on the invitation.
• Date of entry – as listed on the invitation.
• Date of departure – as listed on the invitation.
• Number of entries – as listed on the invitation.
• Type of passport – TOURIST.
• Name and reference number of the tourist group – non-applicable.

6. BEFORE LEAVING FOR RUSSIA

6-1. Please check your visa once you get it. If your passport details or travel dates are incorrect, you need to have your visa revised before you leave for Russia. Please apply to the Russian consulate or the visa agent that has provided your visa and have them make the necessary adjustments. You will not be able to do this upon arrival to Russia.

6-2. Please keep with you the contact information of the invitation issuer. This information is written on your visa support (tourist voucher or on the business visa support confirmation). If any unexpected circumstances arise, the invitation issuer is the only entity that will be able to help you, and the sooner you can contact them, the easier the problem will be resolved. Please keep the name, address, and phone number of the invitation issuer during your journey. If your visa support was part of the service provided by your loсal visa agent, please have the agent supply the contact information of the invitation issuer.

6-3. It is always a good idea to make a photocopy of your passport and take it to Russia with you. The photo page and the visa page are the most important.

6-4. If you have dual citizenship and will enter Russia with no visa with your Russian passport, please make sure that your Russian passport is valid. If necessary, you should extend it before leaving for Russia. Please note that if you have dual Russian citizenship, you must enter Russia with your Russian passport and exit with the same passport..

7. REGISTRATION

Each foreign citizen visiting Russia on a tourist or business visa must register with the local migration authorities. Initial registration has to take place within seven working days upon arrival to Russia.
Note that "working days" does not include weekends or official Russian state holidays, meaning that if one, for example, arrives on Saturday the 7th and leaves on Monday the 16th, one would not have to register at all. Even though the total stay in this case would be 10 days, four of those days would land on weekends, meaning only six working days had been spent in Russia.
If you visit several cities, you need to re-register your visa at each city where you stay more than seven business days.
The registration must be completed by the "receiving entity." Please note that the receiving entity is not necessarily the same as the inviting organization or hotel entered in the person's invitation and visa but can be a company, organization, hotel, or private person a foreigner is actually visiting in Russia.
When you stay at a hotel, the registration is fully taken care of by the hotel reception.

If your invitation was issued by our company and you stay at a private apartment in Moscow, you can have your visa registered at our office. Our Moscow office address is 29 Leninskiy Prospect, Bldg. 8, tel.: (495) 665 5424

In other cities your visa is to be registered by your Russian host. The host can apply at the local post office and will have to fill in the registration form (notification form) and enclose a copy of your passport (photo page and visa page) and a copy of your migration card. Your host will also need to show his/her passport registered at the same address. Your host can also apply to the migration authorities (the local FMS office) but experience shows that getting registered through the post is less time-consuming.
The notification form has two parts separated by a puncture line. The main part is submitted to the authorities. The tear-off receipt or its copy must be kept throughout your stay in Russia and shown to the police or to the passport control officers at the border if requested. Before leaving Russia, you must return the original receipt to your Russian host, who in turn must submit it to the migration authorities within 48 hours. Failure to do so may lead to the authorities’ assuming that the visa has been overstayed. This in turn could lead to your being fined or placed on one of the blacklists maintained by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which might make future travel to Russia more difficult. In addition, the receiving entity (your Russian host) will also be fined. When leaving Russia, please keep a copy of your tear-off registration receipt.