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General Information on Visas
Travel to Russia requires an entry visa. The Consulate General issues different categories of visas to Russia based upon the purpose of the trip and the duration of stay in Russia. Official invitations are required for all types of visas.
The following documents should be submitted in order to obtain a visa regardless of its category:
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Completed visa applications (two for a
multiple re-entry visa), signed by the Applicant. All entries on the form must be typed or printed in block letters in English. Incomplete visa application forms shall not be processed.
Effective June 15, 2009 a new visa application form has been put into effect. Complete it and print it out according to the requirements enclosed. Please note that old application forms will be acceptable till June 19, 2009.
Visa Application Form for US citizens.
Requirements.
Russian Visa Photo Specifications.
Visa Application Form for non US citizens.
Requirements.
Russian Visa Photo Specifications.
All questions in the application form should be answered. If a question is
not applicable to the applicant, he should put “N/A”.
Each application form must be signed by the visa applicant personally.
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Valid national passport (original only and it should have at least two clear
pages). It must be valid no less than six months after the visa expiration date. Holders of travel documents other than passports (Permit to Re-Enter the United States of America, Travel Document, etc.) must submit valid Permanent Resident
Card.
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Two pictures of the applicant.
Russian Visa Photo Specifications.
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Money Order or Certified Bank Check payable to the Russian Consulate for visa processing. Please note that we do not accept cash,
credit or debit cards, personal or company checks.
Visa processing fees are:
Single Entry or Double Entry Visa:
Multiple Entry Visa:
(*)The day of submission/delivery is NOT INCLUDED in processing time.
(*)Starting May till September due to the increasing workload of applications visas are issued in respect of the longest limit of processing time.
On 1st June 2007 the Russia–EU Visa facilitation agreement came
into force and according to its provisions visa processing fees are changed for
the citizens of the following countries:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Hungary, Greece, Spain, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia,
Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania,
Slovakia, Slovenia, Germany, Finland, France, Czech Republic, Sweden, Switzerland, Estonia.
The fees introduced are:
Holders of diplomatic passports of the mentioned countries will not need a
visa to enter Russia for 90 days.
However these provisions are not valid for the countries which did not sign
the Agreement: the United Kingdom, Ireland and Denmark, as well as Iceland and
Norway which are not EU member states and did not sign the Agreement with
Russia.
Visa processing starts only after the Consulate have collected all the necessary documents.
Visa Processing Fee is not Refundable.
Type of visa or dates of entry/departure can not be changed or extended.
Once application is accepted, a numbered receipt indicating
visa ready date is issued. The receipt must be presented for a visa pick-up.
Documents for visa must be submitted by an applicant in person, through an authorized travel agency or by an applicant's
legal representative. Documents delivered by messenger services are not accepted. The Consulate does not provide copy, photo or other services.
After the visa is received it should be checked by the traveler (spelling
of the name, dates of travel, passport number, date of birth) and, if necessary,
returned to the Consulate for corrections.
Processing time, requirements and fees are subject to change without notice.
In accordance with the International Law, the Consulate reserves the right to consider visa applications in certain cases as long as it feels necessary. Visa can be denied if the Consulate has serious reasons to believe that an applicant's entry into or stay in Russia will not be desirable.
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Tourist Visa
To apply for a tourist visa an applicant should submit
to the Consulate a completed visa application form, national passport, two
standard passport pictures, Money Order (see page 1 points 1-4 in General
Information) as well as:
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Standard tourist confirmation (visa support letter) from the authorized hosting Russian travel agency, registered with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The confirmation
should contain full name of the traveler, date of birth, passport number, date of entry/departure, itinerary, the agency's reference number, registration number, official seal and signature of the authorized
person;
Hotel reservation alone is not valid for obtaining a tourist visa.
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Voucher issued by an authorized travel agency, indicating full name of the traveler, date of birth, passport number, dates of entry and departure, name of the hosting Russian Tourist Company.
Russian tourist visa can be issued for not longer than 30 days! When entering Russia with a tourist visa, you
could be also asked to present at the border checkpoint your tourist confirmation, voucher and a return ticket with a fixed date of departure from Russia. You also will have to prove that you have sufficient funds for your travel.
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Business Visa
To apply for a business visa an applicant should submit
to the Consulate a completed visa application form, national passport, two
standard passport pictures, Money Order (see page 1 points 1-4 of General Information)
as well as:
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Original letter of Invitation or Telex Confirmation. All state and private companies/organizations based in Moscow and other regions should process their invitations through the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs/its regional representative offices or Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs/its local visa offices.
Multiple re-entry visas are valid for a one-year period, starting not earlier than the date, indicated in the confirmation from the Ministry of Foreign or Internal Affairs of Russia.
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Private Visa (Homestay Visa)
To apply for a private visa an applicant should submit to
the Consulate a completed visa application form, national passport, two standard passport pictures, Money Order (see page 1 points 1-4 of General Information),
as well as:
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Original visa support letter ("Priglashenie") issued by a Local Visa Office of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs. Applicant's relatives or friends can obtain such invitations.
No copies are accepted. The invitations must be on letterheads and contain full name of the invited person, his/her date of birth, passport number, duration of stay in Russia and cities to be visited. The invitations must be signed and sealed by authorized persons. Top
Student Visa
To apply for a student visa, an applicant should submit
to the Consulate a completed visa application form, national passport, two
standard passport pictures, Money Order (see page 1 points 1-4 of General Information),
as well as:
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Original letter of Invitation from the Ministry of Internal Affairs or its Regional Office.
If you apply for a student visa, you should submit
original HIV blood test (AIDS) Certificate. This certificate is valid for 3 month
only. If you submit the documents for the student visa, please be aware that the national passport has to be valid for no less than one and a half-year.
All documents should be submitted not less than 6 business
days prior to the entry to the Russian Federation. Top
Work Visa
To apply for a
work visa, an applicant should submit to the Consulate a completed visa application
form, national passport, two standard passport pictures, Money Order (see page 1 points 1-4 of General Information),
as well as:
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Original letter of Invitation from the Ministry of Internal Affairs or its Regional Office.
If you apply for a work visa, you should submit original HIV blood test (AIDS) Certificate.
This certificate is valid for 3 month only
(HIV blood test should be taken not earlier than 3 months before applying for a visa). If you submit the documents for the student visa, please be aware that the national passport has to be valid for no less than one and a half-year.
All documents should be submitted not less than 6 business
days prior to the entry to the Russian Federation. Top
Transit Visa
Transit visa is required if period of stay in Russia exceeds 24 hours or a traveler needs to change the airport.
Transit visa can de issued for not longer than 3 days! To apply for a transit visa, an applicant should submit
to the Consulate a completed visa application form, national passport, two
standard passport pictures, Money Order (see page 1 points 1-4 of General Information),
as well as:
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Visa of the country of destination;
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Tickets for the whole itinerary.
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Diplomatic and Official Visa
Diplomatic visa is granted for foreign citizens upon the
receipt of a "note verbale" from a diplomatic/consular representation or permanent mission to international organization
and the follow-up authorization of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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Postal Application
If you apply by mail, you should enclose 20 (twenty) US dollars money order for returning your documents by FedEx to avoid
any loss of your documents. If you fail to follow the above-mentioned requirements, your visa application will not be processed. If the papers are not acceptable for any reason or some documents are missing, we will return them. When forwarding documents to us, please specify "Attention: Visa Section".
We do not accept documents for international delivery.
The Consulate assumes no responsibility for any loss, damage or delay of the documents sent by
mail.
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Important Notice
In accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation as of February 10, 2003
Migration Card (part A and B) should be completed by all foreign
Citizens in Russian/English language in BLOCK LETTERS. The Card is to be presented to the Russian Border Control officer along with a national passport and travel documents. Migration Card can be obtained aboard a plane, on a train or at a Border Control Office. Please be advised, that you
should register with a local office of the Ministry of the Interior within
three working days of arrival at the hotel or other organization rendering hotel services (this rule is applied to all foreign Citizens except those arriving at the invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs). It is not necessary to register if the visa is for two to three days only. (Central Moscow Registration Chamber Tel: 202 2963). Negligence can result in penalties and fines. Registration
outside the territory of the Russian Federation is illegal and may entail
serious
consequences and penalties. Please keep part B of the Migration Card along with your passport until the departure passport control procedure.
Please be advised that one can not have two valid visas in one passport; in this case the first visa will be cancelled. 
Migration Card sample
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Additional Information
Non-US citizens
should also provide proof of legality of their stay in the USA (US
Resident Alien status,
form I-94) when
applying for a visa.
Citizens of Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland,
France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg,
Malta, the
Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland should submit national medical
insurance certificate valid for Russia or guarantee of medical coverage from a
Russian hosting organization for all period of stay.
Applicants who used to be citizens of the USSR or of the Russian Federation and
then emigrated from the USSR or from Russia must submit one of the documents
which confirms that they are no longer citizens of the Russian Federation (so
called "Visa to Israel" or stamp in their passport saying that they left for
"permanent residence abroad" before the 6th of February, 1992 or official
document certifying that their Russian citizenship was
renounced),
otherwise the applications will not be accepted.
The Consulate reserves the right to call the applicants for an interview and ask
questions on personal, financial, business, corporate related issues as well as
on applicant's Russian contacts and relatives.
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Migration Card sample
