How to issue a letter of invitation to Russia?

The inviting party residing in the territory of the Russian Federation should arrange an invitation letter. An individual (an adult citizen of Russia or a foreigner residing in Russia) or legal person (inviting organization, employer, educational institution) agrees to assume responsibility for the invited foreigner

See the simple ways to make out an invitation first and the complicated ones hereafter.

Tourist visa invitation necessary to apply for a tourist visa

In order to obtain a letter of invitation in support of a tourist visa it is necessary to contact a tourist company, fill in an application form, make a payment online and receive the letter by e-mail.  Our company is officially accredited to give out invitations to Russia for foreign citizens. Procurement of such invitation takes only 5 minutes! This method is easy and effortless. This type of invitation enables obtaining a visa valid for up to 30 days.

Apply for a Tourist Visa Invitation

Business visa invitation necessary to apply for business visa

The process of obtaining an invitation in support of business visa is slightly more complicated. However, for citizens of EU countries, the United States, Japan, China online invitation issuance is available, similar to the tourist visa invitation

For other countries the process of obtaining an invitation may take some time depending on the selected type of business visa invitation. All types of invitations available for your country and the processing time can be found in the online form!

The advantage of this type of invitation is that it allows the visa holder to stay in Russia up to 90 days. There is also a possibility of continuous stay.

Get Business Visa Invitation

Private visa invitation necessary to apply for private visa

We do not recommend using this method!

In order to formalize the invitation to Russia, an individual acting as the inviting party should contact the regional Department of the Federal Migration Service and submit the following package of documents:

• visa invitation application
• document proving the identity of the inviting party (his/her passport)
• guarantee letter from the inviting party stating that he/she assumes responsibility for housing the invited person as well as providing medical and material assistance, if needed.
• copy of passport of the invited foreigner
• income certificate to confirm the ability to take care of the material security of the foreign citizen at the time of his/her stay in Russia
• a receipt of payment the relevant State fee

Briefing note: All of this can be avoided by obtaining a tourist visa invitation instead!

Read more: How to obtain an invitation for a foreign friend

If the inviting person is a legal entity, his/her representative is expected to submit an application for visa invitation, copy of the foreigner's passport and the inviting company information, as well as a receipt for payment of the State fee to the Office of the Federal Migration Service.

Read more: Procedure of Executing Visa Invitations to Russia for Foreign Citizens

The visa invitation processing times may vary depending on the branch of the FMS. However, according to the law, it may not exceed 30 days from the date of filing. Individuals can apply for an invitation in support of a visa valid for up 90 days. After receiving such an invitation in the Office of the FMS, the inviting party should send it to the foreign person. The accredited legal entity is entitled to issue invitations for visas with a longer validity:

• for citizens of European Union: for up to 5 years
• for citizens of the United States: for up to 3 years
• for citizens of other countries: for up to 1 year.

Legal persons having the appropriate accreditation can issue invitations to Russia for foreigners by Telex. In this case, the Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation will send an instruction to the Russian Consulate located abroad via a special communication channel commanding to grant a visa to a certain citizen. When applying for a visa, the foreigner indicate a Telex number instead of providing the original invitation letter.

Our experts will help you obtain a visa invitation to Russia The following documents are necessary to do that:

• copy of passport of the invited foreigner
• copy of his/her previous Russian visa (if available)
• filled in questionnaire

Please get in touch with our assistants to find out about the cost of our services.

Issue an Invitation to Russia

Get Visa Invitation

How to obtain a Russian visa

In order to apply for a visa to Russia, a foreigner must apply to the consular office of the Russian Federation. Foreign citizens can apply to any Russian consular office located in his/her country of origin, or in the country where he has the right of abode, which must be confirmed by a residence permit or work permit. EU citizens can get a visa by contacting a Russian Consulate, located in the territory of any EU country.

Read more: Getting a Russian Visa in Practice

To obtain a visa to Russia, a foreign citizen is required to present the following documents at the Consulate:

• International passport with at least 2 blank pages devoted to visa (please note that the passport expiry date must exceed the visa expiry date by at least 6 months)
• the invitation issued for him by the inviting party located in Russia (see above)
• two 3.5х4.5 cm-sized photos

He also must complete the application form and pay the State fee, the amount of which will vary depending on the country, the multiplicity of visa and its urgency. When applying for a Russian visa, a foreign citizen should expect to provide medical insurance, confirmation of the hotel for the entire duration of his/her stay in the Russian Federation as well as other documents. If the foreign person is a citizen of a country included in the list of high migration risk countries, he/she will be required to present a letter of guarantee from the inviting party in which he/she promises to provide housing, medical and material assistance to the foreign guest for the time he/she will be in the Russian Federation.

Visa documents submitted by the foreign citizen are dealt with within a specified period, followed by pasting of a Russian visa into his/her passport, if there is no reason for refusal. Violation of the laws of the Russian Federation during his/her previous visits may serve as grounds for refusal. The refusal can also take place in the event of complications of the political situation or the conduct of hostilities in the country of which he is a national.

Issue an Invitation to Russia

Get Visa Invitation

How to Register a Foreign Citizen with the Russian Migration Service

Once a foreigner crosses the border of the Russian Federation, he/she is required to complete the migration registration procedure within 7 working days. It is not necessary to register, If he/she intends to spend less than 7 working days on the territory of Russia. Migration registration is essentially a notification to the local FMS office informing that a citizen of a foreign country has arrived in Russia.

Read more: Procedure of Obtaining a Russian visa in the Consulate of the Russian Federation

This can be done in three ways:

1. If a foreign citizen who arrived in Russia, chose to stay in a hotel or guest house, the employees of the accommodation are responsible for registering him/her with the Russian migration authorities. In order to complete this procedure, it is necessary to provide the passport with the Russian visa stamped as well as migration card, issued at border crossings.
2. If the foreigner decided to stay at an apartment or private house, the owner of the accommodation must take care of the migration registration requirements. To do this, it is necessary to either apply at the Office of the Federal Migration Service in person, or send all the necessary documents by mail.
3. The legal person who has issued a visa invitation to Russia for the foreign citizen can also complete the migration registration procedure for that person. In this case, the documents necessary for registration should be submitted to the Office of the FMS by a representative of the host company.

Violation of the rules of stay in Russia would entail the imposition of an administrative penalty and may serve as a reason to deny entry to Russia for a period of up to 5 years.

Issue an Invitation to Russia

Apply for a Visa Invitation

Frequently Asked Questions