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For US citizens a visa is required. A U.S. citizen who does not comply with Russian immigration laws can be subject to arrest, fines, and/or deportation. Russian authorities will not allow U.S. citizens to depart the country if their visa has expired. Travelers must wait until a new visa is approved, which may take up to 20 days. Please verify the expiration date of your Russian visa, and leave Russia before your visa expires!
The information below will explain a bit more about Russian visas and how to get them. If you are ready to get a Russian visa now, please visit our
Russian Visa Order Form.
Below is a video that describes information about Russian travel visas.
On our website you will find information regarding the three types of Russian visas that are available. Russia issues tourist, business and casual business (AIM) visas. We can process any of these visas for you. Casual Business Visas are a recent addition and work well for the businessman who only needs a single entry good for thirty days. On our website we have a video explaining in detail the three different types of visas.
Russia has a rather laborious application that must be filled in electronically and then printed out for your signature and submission. In order to assist you we have a “guide” which you can fill in by hand before doing the actual application. This should make things easier for you. The same application is used for all 3 of the visas listed above.
One of the most important things you will need for a Russian visa is an Invitation. If you are staying at a hotel or more than 1 hotel, you will need an invitation from each of them. If you are traveling for business, the company you are visiting will procure an invitational for you. We can also make arrangements for an invitation letter for you. On our website we will link you to a company that can get these invites for you.
Citizens of Nigeria are not permitted to use an expeditor and must make a personal appearance at the consulate.
Former USSR or Russian Nationals need additional documents to apply for a Russian visa, these are listed on our website. They may have to appear for an interview.
Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months after your planned departure from Russia. You will need two pages for the visa and immigration stamps when you arrive and depart from Russia. If you need to renew your passport because you do not meet these requirements, ItsEasy can help you with expediting that request.
Upon check-in at your airline, they will make sure your passport and visa are valid. When arriving in Russia, Immigration will check your passport and visa again for validity. If your visa is not valid they will not allow you to enter Russia and you will have to return to the U.S. on the next available flight.
We can assist U.S. citizens and non-U.S. citizens who live in the U.S. and need a visa to travel to Russian. Go to our website and you’ll be able to access the application and gather the documents required for submission. Select the visa and processing service that best suits your needs and whether it’s urgent, rush or non-rush, we will get the visa for you.
ItsEasy will help you with this process from start to finish. We are here for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year.
ItsEasy maintains the visa requirements to all countries, including Russia. Use
the widget above to see your particular requirements for visiting Russia based upon
your citizenship and state of residence in the USA.
Below is a sample set of requirements for visiting Russia using a Tourist Visa Visa. These requirements are only a SAMPLE. To get the EXACT requirements for you to visit Russia, please go to our TripBuilder page and enter in your specific information that is your exact situation.
Citizens of Nigeria must apply for a visa to Russia in person. We cannot assist with Russia visas for anyone who holds a passport from Nigeria.
Current travel restrictions for entering Russia related to coronavirus (COVID-19):
All foreign citizens arriving in Russia are required to present a medical certificate indicating that they have tested negative for coronavirus within the past 72 hours. The test must be a Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test and the certificate must be in English or Russian. Foreign citizens are also required to complete a special passenger locator form during their flight as a condition of entry.
Updated Russia Travel Information (11/30/20):
The Russian Federation has provided updated COVID related travel information. Please click the following button for further details.
HERE
A helpful video describing the different visa options for Russia, including the new "Casual Business" (AIM Tourist) visa that can be obtained more quickly than the traditional Business Visa to Russia.
Every Russia visa requires an official invitation from Russia. The following are the basic types of invitations the Embassy/Consulate will accept.
1) Tourist Voucher – Vouchers are usually provided by hotels or tour groups. These can be used to obtain single, double, or multiple entry visas. They are also valid for AIM Tourism visas (single entry only) which can be used to cover casual business travel*.
2) Three Year, Multiple Entry Business Invite – This invitation is presented in a letter style from the inviting company in Russia, and is valid ONLY for obtaining three year, multiple-entry business visas.**
3) Telex – A Telex is an electronic invitation and can be used to apply for single, double, or multiple-entry visas for both tourism and business. Telexes are addressed to specific government missions (Embassy or Consulates). If using a Telex, ItsEasy requires that you provide the Telex confirmation details with your application documents. Failure to do so may result in a delay in visa processing.
4) Original Business Invitation – This form of invitation is an official certificate, and is issued by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs or other government ministries. These are not used frequently, and the original certificate must be provided with the application. No copies accepted.
If you need help in arranging Russian visa support, ItsEasy can help acquire the invitation for you from our Russian visa support affiliate. To order your Russian visa invitation now, please click the below link
*Casual business travel includes business meetings only.
**Rules vary for non-US citizens. Call for details.
Applicant must submit their current, signed passport. Visas are stamped into a passport, therefore the original passport is required.
Note: In order to obtain Russia visas, passport must have two (2) blank facing visa pages (typically the last few pages of the passport are marked "Amendment" and are not valid for visas) and must be valid for at least six months past the date of entry into Russia.
Applicant must submit two (2) identical, color, passport style photographs. The photos must be recent and generally should not be the same used for the passport itself.
Although applicant may be submitting documents along with other family members, when submitted to an embassy or consulate, applications are treated individually. If applicant is under 18 years old, please view the following link.
Applicants aged 21 and under must provide a copy of their parents' passports.
If applicant was born in USSR or Russia, applicant MUST submit one or more of the following documents:
• Copy of USSR passport with a stamp stating you left for “permanent residence abroad”, dated prior to February 6, 1992;
• Or a copy of a “Visa to Israel” issued prior to February 6, 1992;
• Or a copy of a Certificate of Naturalization issued prior to 1996;
• Or a document confirming the renunciation of your Russian citizenship;
• Or a copy of the main pages of a passport of a former USSR state, issued after February 1992;
• Or a written statement of explanation, in the case that you have no documentation.
In accordance with Russian law, visas cannot be issued to Russian citizens with expired passports. In accordance to Article 12 of Russian Law “On citizenship of the Russian Federation”, children born to two parents who are Russian citizens, automatically gain Russian citizenship, regardless of the place of birth. In this case visas are not issued, and they must apply for Russian citizenship, or have their information written into the passport of one of their parents, or obtain a Russian passport. If applying for a minor, please provide a copy of their Birth Certificate, in which it is evident that at least of the parents is not a citizen of the Russian Federation.
If applying for a minor, please provide a copy of their Birth Certificate, in which it is evident that at least of the parents is not a citizen of the Russian Federation.
The embassy may request additional documents and a personal interview at their discretion.
If you have a currently valid Russia visa in an expired or cancelled passport, the Embassy of Russia requires that you provide proof that the passport it is in has been officially cancelled. You must provide a copy of both the visa, and the front cover of the passport showing holes punched by the US State Dept which signifies the passport has been officially cancelled.
Failure to provide the required copies may create delays in processing a new visa to Russia.
Foreign travelers must complete the linked form (PDF, 210Kb), print, and present to customs upon arrival in Russia.
The visa application must be completed using an online wizard provided by the Russian government. This policy was implemented and mandatory as of July 1, 2011. Once completed, print and sign application.
We provide an Application Guide below. It is very important that the instructions are followed. Failure to follow the instructions exactly may result in rejection of application. It is recommend applicant print guide to use while completing application.
After reviewing the Application Guide above, click below to complete the visa application.
**IMPORTANT**Please note: Applicants MUST provide their application password with their application. Applications submitted without the security password described in the Application Guide can not be processed.
NOTE: Questions 14, 26, and 27 of the Russia visa application MUST be completed in full. If any of these questions are left blank or not answered completely it will create delays in processing your visa.
Note: Applicants applying for multiple entry visas must submit two original, signed applications. All others submit only one.