Get a Tourist Visa Invitation to Russia
How to get a tourist visa invitation?
To arrange an invitation for a tourist visa it is necessary to approach a travel company accredited at Rosturizm (Russian Tourism Agency). The travel agency must be registered as a tour operator entitled to invite foreign citizens to Russia.
Only travel companies are allowed to issue tourist visa invitations. This type of invitation is basically a contract for travel services this company offers to a particular foreign citizen.
Learn more: Tourist Visa to Russia for Foreigners
Tourist invitation, containing a tourist voucher and a confirmation of acceptance of the tourist, is issued on the letterhead of the travel company. A tourist voucher should include:
- travel company's name, its reference number and official details
- foreign citizen's passport data, his/her citizenship, gender and date of birth
- purpose of the trip (tourism, in this case)
- number of entries and validity period requested for the invitation
- information regarding the travel route of the foreigner
- accommodation address in Russia (name of the hotel and its address)
- chief executive's signature and the travel company's corporate seal
Arranging a tourist visa invitation is the most easy and fast way to get an invitation, as in this case the invitation is simply printed on the travel company's letterhead and no waiting time is needed as when applying at public authorities.
In addition to the invitation, a foreigner is required to have a hotel booking confirmation with its address specified in the tourist voucher in hand when applying for a tourist visa at the Consulate. After the invitation for a tourist visa is issued, the dates of the foreigner's trip to Russia should be indicated in it. This kind of trip cannot exceed 30 days.
Arrange a tourist visa invitation
Get a business visa invitation to Russia
How to get an invitation for a business visa?
To arrange a business visa invitation, it is necessary to contact a company that is accredited in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or FMS and has is entitled to invite foreign citizens who would like to come to Russia for commercial purposes.
The invitation needed to obtain a business visa can be issued in 3 ways:
Read more: Business Visa to Russia for Foreigners
Only organizations are allowed to act as the inviting party when arranging a business visa invitation: Russian-based companies or Russian establishments of foreign companies The organization must be accredited in the FMS. The application for the invitation must be submitted at the place of the company's accreditation.
The time frame for processing the invitation depends on the number of entries requested:
- it's 17 calendar days for single- and double-entry visas
- and 21 days for multiple-entry visas.
By the end of this period, an invitation will be issued on the counterfeit-proof state-approved form (unless the foreigner is denied entry into the Russian Federation). The following information will be specified in it:
- foreigner's passport data (in cyrillic and latin), his/her citizenship and the number of his/her passport
- type of visa, the purpose of the trip, the requested validity period and the number of entries allowed
- information regarding the inviting company (its official name and legal address)
- tourist's travel route (up to 5 locations he/she plans to visit)
- individual numbers of the invitation and the form
- signature of the authorized person and the stamp of the FMS office where the invitation was issued
After the invitation is obtained by the inviting party, it should be forwarded to the foreign person by the international mail service or any other convenient way.
In the case of using Telex, the instruction to grant the visa to the particular foreign person will be transferred via internal communication channel from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the consulate office of the Russian Federation located abroad. In this case, the inviting party is obligated to inform the invited foreigner of the Telex number assigned to him. When applying at the Consulate, the foreigner will have to provide the number instead of papers. To arrange a Telex invitation, the inviting company that is accredited by the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should submit an application.
After submitting the application, it will be some time until the message will have been transferred from the MID to the Russian Consulate abroad.
- it will take 7 days, in the case of a single- or double-entry visa.
- or 13 days for a multi-entry visa.
Only citizens of the EU and USA are allowed to arrange invitations for business visa as Russia has a simplified visa procedure agreement with these countries. In this case, the invitation will have a form of a letter issued by the inviting organization for the Consulate stating full details about the inviting party, the foreign citizen and the number of entries visa and validity period requested. The letter should be sent by mail to the foreigner or hand it to him/her in some other way as the original document may be requested when applying at the Consulate.
It is necessary to look into the requirements for the content of such a letter in advance, as they may be different for different consulates. Issuing a letter of invitation takes a single day. Note that the visa application processing time can reach 14 days due to the checks that will be conducted to determine the absence of a prohibition on entry to Russia for the foreign citizen. This means, that processing the visa application with a letter of invitation issued by an organization will take longer than in the case of using a Telex invitation or an invitation issued on the FMS form, where the check will already have been conducted while arranging the invitation.
Issue a business visa invitation to Russia on the FMS form
Get a Business Visa Invitation
Arrange a business visa invitation to Russia
Arrange a Business Visa Invitation
Issue a business visa invitation to Russia in the form of a letter
Arrange a Business Visa Invitation
Get a private visa invitation to Russia
How to get a private invitation to Russia?
A private invitation to Russia for foreigners can be arranged by an adult Russian citizen or a foreign person who resides permanently on the territory of the Russian Federation. For this he/she must contact the authorized body of the FMS.
Read more: Private Visa to Russia for Foreigners
Legal persons accredited by the Federal Migration Service at the place of their location, can also apply for issuing invitations for a private visa.
Why? Read more: Why not apply for a private visa?
To do this, the individual or representative of a legal person should submit the relevant documents to the office of the Federal Migration Service at the place of their residence or accreditation. After the filing of the complete package of documents at the FMS, the date will be indicated, when the invitation will be issued and ready for pick-up. In the period between the date when the invitation is requested and the date when it can be picked up, the foreigner's record will be checked to see whether he/she is denied entry into the Russian Federation.
If nothing obstructs entry and all the other documents are in order, a counterfeit-proof state-approved form shall be issued to the inviting party, containing information about the foreign citizen, the inviting party, the validity period and the number of entries allowed. After the inviting party picks up the invitation, the original document should be handed to the foreigner using the international express delivery service or in some other way. Invitations for a private visa can have a varied validity period, however it may not exceed 90 days.
Need help in obtaining a private visa invitation?
Get a work visa invitation to Russia
How to get a work invitation to Russia?
The employing company cannot start the process of arranging a work visa invitation until a work permit for the foreign citizen is obtained. However, before preparing this type of invitation, the employer must apply for a special permit that entitles the company to attract foreign workers.
Read more: Russian work visa for foreigners
After these two permits are obtained, the employing company should contact the office of the FMS to arrange an invitation for a work visa for the foreigner. A work visa valid for 3 months shall be granted based on this type of invitation. The foreigner is obligated to enter Russia and contact the employer during this period. It is necessary that he/she register with the migration authorities within 7 working days after his/her arrival in the Russian Federation. The employing company is expected to submit the documents requesting that his/her visa be extended. By doing so, the visa shall be extended either for the period specified in the employment contract, or until the foreigner's work permit expiry date (may not exceed 1 year).
Need assistance in obtaining a work visa invitation?
Get a study visa invitation to Russia
An invitation for a study visa can be arranged after the foreign citizen is enrolled in a Russian Higher Education institution based on the results of examinations or interview. The institution is obligated to take care of the paperwork. For that, a representative of the institution should submit the relevant package of documents at the FMS. This why it is not until the foreigner has visited Russia holding some other type of visa (tourist or private) to pass the examination or meet face-to-face for an interview that he/she can obtain a study visa.
Invitations for a study visa are valid for 90 days, during which the foreigner needs to come to Russia and visit the educational institution where he/she will be assisted in extending his/her visa for the entire period of the academic year.
Issue an invitation to Russia for a foreigner, using the services of our company. For that, you need to send a copy of the first page of the foreign citizen's passport, a copy of his/her previous Russian visas, fill out the application form and pay for our services. Find out about the cost and time frames of arranging your invitation by calling our assistants.
Need help in obtaining an invitation to study in Russia?
Frequently Asked Questions
- Tourist Visa - e.g.: tourism, sightseeing;
- Business Visa - e.g.: conferences, business negotiations;
- E-Visa - e.g.: short-term visits;
- Work Visa - e.g.: employment in a Russian company;
- Private Visa - e.g.: visiting friends in Russia (though a tourist visa is cheaper and more effecient??).
To obtain a Russian visa you need:
- Fill in our online order form and get a Visa invitation to Russia
- Refer to our Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Russian Visa Application, use your personal data and information from the Invitation to Russia
The following categories can invite foreigners to Russia:
- adult citizens of the Russian Federation
- adult foreign nationals who are permanently resident in the Russian Federation
- legal entities located on the territory of the Russian Federation and accredited in the authorized offices of FMS
- travel companies registered in the Unified Register of Tour Operators of Russia and having an individual reference number.
