Visa for Russia

Russia Visa

 In Russia, applying for a visa is an essential requirement for any foreigner wishing to enter the country.

Regardless of whether a foreign national wishes to enter Russia for a holiday or short-term visit, or they intend to live and work in Russia for an extended period, all visitors wishing to visit or immigrate to Russia for any length of time must apply for a visa to do so.

In Russia, visa applications must undergo a two-step process; firstly, visa support documentation must be obtained, after which the Russian visas themselves may be applied for.

Russian visa support is essentially an invitation to visit the country. Depending on the type of visa for Russia being pursued, this invitation will come from different sources.

For holiday makers a Tourist Voucher must be obtained. For a private visitor the documentation will need to be obtained from the relevant Russian family or friends, whilst for a business visitor the invitation must come from the Russian company in question.

Visa Support is an essential component of the application process in Russia; it is not possible to successfully apply for a Russian visa without the appropriate visa support documentation.

Russian Tourist visas may be issued for single or double entry and are designed for people who wish to visit the country for a short period of time for the purposes of tourism.

As discussed, applications for Russian tourist visas require tourist vouchers to be obtained first. In addition, it will also be necessary to obtain tourist confirmation from an authorised Russian travel agency.

In Russia, visas of this kind are valid for no more than 30 days, they do not permit their holder to engage in any employment in the country, and successful applicants must return to their country of residence on or before the expiry of the document.

Russian Private Visa

Russian private visas are intended for those who wish to temporarily relocate to Russia in order to visit family and friends.

In these circumstances, an official invitation must be obtained by the friends or relatives who the candidate will be staying with. They will need to apply to the Ministry of the Interior (MI) of the Russian Federation in order to obtain an official invitation.

Russian Business Visa

Russian business visas can be granted as a single or double entry permit valid for up to 30 or 90 days. A multiple entry variant with a maximum duration of one year is also available.

Once more, when applying for this immigration route to Russia, visa support documentation is required before an application can be made. In this case, an invitation must be obtained from a Russian company. This must be provided as a hard copy or sent via telex to the nominated Russian consulate as part of the application.

However, holders of this type of permit are not allowed to engage in any kind of employment whilst in the country.

In cases where applicants wish to apply for a one year multiple entry business permit, it may be necessary to provide an HIV certificate.

Processing Times and Fees

Although Russian immigration visa services are subject to change, at present applications for short stay visas can normally be completed in seven working days.

In addition, a same day service is also available. However, it should be noted that immigration law is frequently subject to change and the time taken to process an application may also be affected by the nationality of the applicant.