RUSSIA FAQ (FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS)

• Tourist
• Business

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who Needs A Visa To Enter Into Russia?
2. When should I apply for a visa?
3. Processing Time (How long does it take to get my visa?)
4. Validity (How long will my visa be good for?)
5. How do I "read" my visa?
6. What are the consular fees?
7. What is an "entry" (single entry / double entry)?
8. What is a proper invitation voucher?
9. What about jurisdiction?
10. Disclaimer

• All foreign nationals require visas to enter into Russia.

We recommend that you apply for your visa 3 weeks (or more) before your travel date, although if you are doing a 3 day service then 4 days will be enough time. Russian visas are issued based on the travel dates that YOU fill in on the Russian application from. You will not be allowed to enter into Russia before the dates stamped on your visa, (for help reading your visa, please go to the section "How to read my visa"). You may enter in after the dates that you put on your application form, provided that you are still traveling within the window of validity stamped on your visa. If you need the visa faster than 3 business days contact our office at 1-866-ITS-EASY (1-866-487-3279), and one of our agents will help you.

The Russian consulate in NY processes visas based on what kind of documentation you have, how many entries you need and how quickly you need the visa. The consulate accepts applications in the morning and the releases time is usually in the early evening, (between 4:30 and 5:30!). If you need the visa faster than 3 business days contact our office at 1-866-ITS-EASY (1-866-487-3279), and one of our agents will help you.

Tourist visas to Russia are ONLY good for entries within one month from the initial validity date. Even if you have a double entry visa you still only have 1 month to use both entries or you will need to get a new visa. For help reading your visa, please go to the section "How to read my visa". Business travelers often, (BUT NOT ALWAYS) are granted 3 month visas. Once issued visas cannot be modified. The Russian consulate will not amend visas if a traveler has already traveled with the visa, even if they (the consulate) made the initial mistake! The initial entry date on your visa will be the date that YOU specify on the application form. You will not be allowed to enter in before that date. So let's say you specify that you are traveling on the 10th of the month, and then your travel plans change and you decide to leave on the 11th instead, that will be FINE. BUT, if you decide you want to go in the 9th instead, you need a whole new visa, you cannot amend visas once they are processed.

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Consulate fees can be paid in Cash, Money Order, or Check, and are payable to the "RA Consulating", or "Consulate of Russia". These are the fees charged by the consulate, and does not include the It's Easy Service fee.

Single entry visas allow you to travel into a country ONE time. Double entry visas allow you to travel into a country TWO times. That means you can go into a country, then back to the United States (or any other country), and then you may re-enter the country a second time. Your two entries must occur within the time constraints listed on your visa. For help reading your visa, please go to the section "How to read my visa". Multiple entry visas allow you to enter in and out of the country an unlimited number of times during the dates specified on your visa.

An official letter of invitation from the Russian Ministry of the Interior, its local offices or the Russian Foreign Ministry, its regional representatives, or any other authorized Russian agency. The letter must contain: official seal and legal address of the agency, document registration number, date of registration, signature and name of an authorized official, travel itinerary, dates of stay, names of persons invited. The Russian consulate will not take faxes of these forms.

A jurisdiction is the geographic area that a consulate expects their applicants to live in. The Russian consulate in New York does not enforce any type of jurisdiction. We can process visas for citizens residing in any state in the U.S.