Most foreign citizens are required to have a valid visa to enter the Russian Federation. Russian visas must indicate entry/exit dates written in a European way (date/month/year). To get a visa several documents need to be presented to the Russian Consulate or Embassy in a visitor’s country. The set of documents will differ according to the type of visa a person is willing to get. Required Documents The type of visa depends on a stay length, purpose of visit and an invitation form that a visitor has at his or her disposal. The most frequently used are tourist, business and guest visas. Another differentiation is based on the numbers of entries to the country: there could be single-, double- or multi-entry visas.Despite the differences in visas’ characteristics there are general document requirements for getting any visa:
National passportA visitor's passport must be valid for at least six months prior to the intended date of the departure from Russia has at least 2 blank pages which do not need to be consecutive.
Visa applicationAn application form is obtained from the Russian Consulate and must be thoroughly completed in block letters.
One recent passport size photo of 1.18 by 1.57 inches (3 by 4 cm) glued to the indicated space on the application form. Also you can be asked to write your name in capital letters on the back of the photo. The photo should be stapled to the specially marked place of the application form.
Invitation letterInvitation letter or documents substituting for it are to be presented in accordance with the purpose of a visit:
For tourists: confirmation of hotel reservations or confirmation of bookings from a travel agency. This must include information about tourist services prepayment. The documents to be presented are as follows: a copy of a tourist voucher or a message from a hotel with a confirmation of accommodation booking and tickets with fixed dates. A tourist could also be asked to provide some documents proving that he or she has sufficient funds for the trip.
For a business trip: an official business invitation from a Russian company approved by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
For a private visit: a letter of invitation from relatives or friends - "Izveschenie". It should be registered with OVIR (office of visas and registrations). Friends or relatives of a visitor should get an invitation form from a local OVIR office in Russia and send it to their guest. The procedure is likely to be lengthy and troublesome. In case of a visit to the Russian Federation for urgent medical reasons, for urgent treatment, or to visit a seriously ill or a deceased relative, an applicant should present a certificate issued by a medical institution or a death certificate and a document proving the kindred between the applicant and the ill or deceased relative. Passport's validity of the applicant should exceed the visa expiry date.
For a transit passage: copy of a ticket and a valid entry visa to a country of destination are required.
For stay exceeding 3 months or multi-entry visa HIV test results need to be presented. Certificate should still be valid for 15- 30 days on the day of your application
Tourists who are self-employed, company directors, working from home or unemployed need to provide bank statements for the last three months which have a current balance of a minimum of £100 per day for the duration of the visit. Please note that if you wish to provide online banking printouts please make sure they will be certified and stamped by your bank.Note: an invitation must contain full name of the traveler, date of birth, passport number, dates of entry/departure and information about itinerary. All invitations must be printed on letter-heads, signed and sealed.Attention! Note that according to the Russian Law the date of entry cannot be earlier that 5 working days after the date of issue of the visa. Please have it in mind when applying for an urgent-processing visa. 1. In compliance with new regulations, in addition to general document requirements for getting tourist visa (valid national passport, visa application, and invitation letter), a foreign visitor needs to present a contract for rendering tourist service and a confirmation letter that acknowledges that the tourist organization shall receive the named foreign citizen. In order to avoid unnecessary troubles, try to present an original travel contract to the Embassy or Consulate.2. Migration cards are to be filled in by foreign citizens and stateless persons at customs control when entering the Russian Federation. These cards shall contain all the necessary information about foreign citizens and stateless persons coming to Russia and were introduced for the purpose of control over their stay on the territory of the Russian Federation. Foreign citizens should hand these migratory forms back at their departure. In case of loss of migratory cards foreign citizens should report the loss to regional bodies of domestic affairs domiciliary within 3 days. The entry of a foreign citizen shall be restricted in case if the person did not submit the migration card during his last stay in the Russian Federation.