Russian Visa
Russian Tourist Visa is required for the foreign tourists except countries having a visa-free Agreement with Russia.
A Russian Tourist Visa can be issued for either single (or double entry depends on travel itinerary), but only for a validity of no more than 30 days. The Russian Tourist Visa cannot be extended while the holder is in Russia.
Applications for Russian Tourist Visas require an invitation (visa support letter) to be granted by local travel agency (Fremad Russia) approved by Ministry of Foreign Affairs. When applying for visa at the Russian Consulate at your country you have to provide a current passport from your country of residence with a validity of at least six months after the expiry of the Russian visa and some other documents. You should always with your local Russia Consulate Service https://www.mid.ru/en/maps what documents are required; if copies of invitations are accepted or only originals; how long does it take to issue visa and how much does it cost.
In accordance with Russian Law, foreign citizens have to make a registration within 72 hours upon arrival. Usually the hotel's administration takes all the necessary steps regarding the registration. Hotel has the right to charge a fee for these services. This fee ranges from 200 to 500 Russian roubles and has to be paid at the place of the hotel.
Fremad Russia agency provides the tourists with Visa support documents (voucher + confirmation) free of charge, if a client/agent books and pays the accommodation or excursion tours through Fremad Russia for the whole period of stay in Russia.
E-visa for foreign tourists:
Since 2019/2020 it is possible to visit 3 of regions of Russia with E-visa: the Far-Eastern Federal District, Kaliningrad region, Saint-Petersburg and Leningrad region. An E-visa issued for a visit to one of the three above-listed regions is not valid for visits to other regions of the Russian Federation. E-visa allows to stay in the country up to 8 days of the 30-day validity period.
All information reagrding E-visa processing as well as the list of the countries whose citizens can apply for E-visa you can find here: https://evisa.kdmid.ru/en-US/Home/Index
E-visa can be used for entering and leaving the Russian Federation at the following checkpoints:
- air checkpoints «Vladivostok (Knevichy Airport)», «Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (Khomutovo Airport)», «Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (Yelizovo Airport)», «Blagoveschensk», «Khabarovsk (Novy Airport)», «Anadyr (Ugolny Airport)», «Kaliningrad (Khrabrovo)», «Ulan-Ude (Muhino)», «Chita (Kadala)», «Pulkovo»;
- naval checkpoints «Vladivostok», «Zarubino», «Posiet», «Korsakov», «Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky», «Kaliningrad (checkpoints in the cities of Kaliningrad, Baltiysk and Svetly)», «Vysotsk», «Big port Saint Petersburg (Marine Station)», «Passenger port Saint Petersburg»;
- railroad checkpoints «Pogranichny», «Khasan», «Makhalino», «Mamonovo», «Sovetsk»;
- automobile checkpoints «Poltavka», «Turiy Rog», «Bagrationovsk», «Gusev», «Mamonovo (Grzechotki)», «Mamonovo (Gronowo)», «Morskoje», «Pogranichny», «Sovetsk», «Chernyshevskoye», «Ivangorod», «Torfjanovka», «Brusnitchnoe», «Svetogorsk»;
- pedestrian checkpoint «Ivangorod».
E-visa is free. Invitations, hotel booking confirmations or any other documents that confirm the purpose of your journey to the Russian Federation are not required for an e-visa. The time period for issuing an e-visa is no longer than 4-5 calendar days from the date of submission of the complete application.
E-visas can be of the following categories only: ordinary business visa (purpose of journey is business), ordinary tourist visa (purpose of journey is tourism) and ordinary humanitarian visa (purposes of journey are sports, cultural, scientific and technological ties). If the purpose of your journey to the Russian Federation does not correspond to any of the above, you should apply for a traditional (non electronic) visa at a diplomatic mission or consular office of the Russian Federation.
Starting from the 1st of January 2021 you may travel all over Russia with E-visa up to 16 days!
An electronic visa will be available along with a diplomatic, service, ordinary, transit and temporary resident visa.
The e-visa will be a single-entry visa valid 60 days and it will allow to stay in Russia up to 16 days. The application form to fill out will be placed on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. The e-visa processing will take not more than 4 days. The list of countries whose citizens may apply for the e-visa will be published later.
Visa-free regime of entry to Russia for Cruise Ship passengers
Foreigne tourists are able to stay on the territory of the Russian Federation visa-free up to 72 hours when entering Russia by ferry (large cruise ships) through the following ports: Sochi, Novorossiysk, Vladivostok, Korsakov, Kaliningrad, Vyborg, St.Petersburg. This is valid for people travelling with authorised local travel Agency.
Fremad Russia provides all visa-free formalities for Cruise passengers efficiently and free of charge!
Visa-free policy for citizens of foreign countries
Depends on definite situation and country relations on current date there could be changed the rules and terms for entry to Russia, please kindly check visa information and particular case before your travel.
What are migration risk countries?
Russia’s list of migration risk countries changes on a regular basis and is updated depending on global changes. For risk migration countries’ nationals, an invitation for applying for an entry visa is issued after more thorough background checks, followed by preliminary interviews with the applicant and the hosting party.
The list of risk migration countries includes countries that:
- are currently at active war;
- pose threat of a terrorist attack;
- have poor central authority or lack thereof;
- have a high percentage of those wishing to leave the country;
- have non-existent diplomatic relations with Russian Federation.
|
Citizenship |
Do foreign citizens need a visa to enter Russia? |
Migration Risk Level |
Comments |
|
Azerbaijan |
No visa required |
Normal |
Up to 90 days of simultaneous stay |
|
Argentina |
No visa required |
Normal |
Up to 90 days of simultaneous stay |
|
Armenia |
No visa required |
Normal |
Up to 90 days of simultaneous stay |
|
Belarus |
No visa required |
Normal |
Up to 90 days of simultaneous stay |
|
Bolivia |
No visa required |
Normal |
Up to 90 days of simultaneous stay |
|
Bosnia and Herzegovina |
No visa required |
Normal |
Up to 30 days of simultaneous stay, original tourist invitation is required |
|
Brazil |
No visa required |
Normal |
Up to 90 days of simultaneous stay |
|
Brunei Darussalam |
No visa required |
Migration-dangerous |
Up to 14 days of simultaneous stay |
|
Vanuatu |
No visa required |
Normal |
Up to 90 days of simultaneous stay |
|
Venezuela |
No visa required |
Normal |
Up to 90 days of simultaneous stay |
|
Guyana |
No visa required |
Normal |
Up to 90 days of simultaneous stay |
|
Guatemala |
No visa required |
Normal |
Up to 90 days of simultaneous stay |
|
Honduras |
No visa required |
Normal |
Up to 90 days of simultaneous stay |
|
Grenada |
No visa required |
Normal |
Up to 90 days of simultaneous stay |
|
Dominica |
No visa required |
Normal |
Up to 90 days of simultaneous stay |
|
Israel |
No visa required |
Normal |
Up to 90 days of simultaneous stay |
|
Kazakhstan |
No visa required |
Normal |
Up to 90 days of simultaneous stay |
|
Kyrgyzstan |
No visa required |
Normal |
Up to 90 days of simultaneous stay |
|
Colombia |
No visa required |
Normal |
Up to 90 days of simultaneous stay |
|
Costa Rica |
No visa required |
Normal |
Up to 90 days of simultaneous stay |
|
Cuba |
No visa required |
Normal |
Up to 30 days of simultaneous stay, original tourist invitation is required |
|
Laos |
No visa required |
Migration-dangerous |
Up to 30 days of simultaneous stay |
|
Mauritius |
No visa required |
Normal |
Up to 60 days of simultaneous stay |
|
Macedonia |
No visa required |
Migration-dangerous |
Original invitation required |
|
Republic Of Maldives |
No visa required |
Migration-dangerous |
Up to 90 days of simultaneous stay |
|
Moldova |
No visa required |
Normal |
Up to 90 days of simultaneous stay |
|
Mongolia |
No visa required |
Normal |
Up to 30 days of simultaneous stay |
|
Nauru |
No visa required |
Normal |
Up to 14 days of simultaneous stay |
|
Nicaragua |
No visa required |
Migration-dangerous |
Up to 90 days of simultaneous stay |
|
U.A.E. |
No visa required |
Normal |
Up to 90 days of simultaneous stay |
|
Palau |
No visa required |
Normal |
Up to 30 days of simultaneous stay |
|
Panama |
No visa required |
Normal |
Up to 90 days of simultaneous stay |
|
Paraguay |
No visa required |
Normal |
Up to 90 days of simultaneous stay |
|
Peru |
No visa required |
Normal |
Up to 90 days of simultaneous stay |
|
The Republic Of Korea |
No visa required |
Normal |
Up to 60 days of simultaneous stay |
|
El Salvador |
No visa required |
Normal |
Up to 90 days of simultaneous stay |
|
Samoa |
No visa required |
Normal |
Up to 60 days of simultaneous stay |
|
Seychelles |
No visa required |
Migration-dangerous |
Up to 30 days of simultaneous stay |
|
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
No visa required |
Normal |
Up to 90 days of simultaneous stay |
|
Saint Kitts and Nevis |
No visa required |
Normal |
Up to 90 days of simultaneous stay |
|
Serbia |
No visa required |
Normal |
Up to 30 days of simultaneous stay |
|
The Special Administrative Region Hong Kong S.A.R. |
No visa required |
Normal |
Up to 14 days of simultaneous stay |
|
The Special Administrative Region Macao |
No visa required |
Normal |
Up to 30 days of simultaneous stay |
|
Tajikistan |
No visa required |
Normal |
Up to 90 days of simultaneous stay |
|
Turkey |
No visa required |
Normal |
Up to 30 days of simultaneous stay |
|
Thailand |
No visa required |
Migration-dangerous |
Up to 30 days of simultaneous stay |
|
Uzbekistan |
No visa required |
Normal |
Up to 90 days of simultaneous stay |
|
Ukraine |
No visa required |
Normal |
Original invitation required. Up to 90 out of 180 within each period of stay (as of 20.03.2014) |
|
Uruguay |
No visa required |
Normal |
Up to 90 days of simultaneous stay |
|
Fiji |
No visa required |
Migration-dangerous |
Up to 90 days of simultaneous stay |
|
Montenegro |
No visa required |
Normal |
Up to 30 days of simultaneous stay |
|
Chile |
No visa required |
Normal |
Up to 90 days of simultaneous stay |
|
Ecuador |
No visa required |
Normal |
Up to 90 days of simultaneous stay |
|
South Ossetia |
No visa required |
Normal |
Up to 90 days of simultaneous stay |
|
Jamaica |
No visa required |
Migration-dangerous |
Up to 90 days of simultaneous stay |