To visit friends in Russia, to plunge into the culture and life of this country, to see the sights, visit museums and explore the architecture, it is necessary that you get a tourist visa.
What is a Russian tourist visa?
Tourist visa is a document which allows foreign citizens to travel on the territory of Russia during a short period (up to 30 days) to get acquainted with the sights of the country. Visa is issued based on a supporting invitation letter issued by a tourist company that hosts the foreign citizen.
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The rules of Russian tourist visa issuance
| Validity: | 1-30 days |
|---|---|
| Number of entries: | Single or double entry |
| Invitation price: | 18 $ - Get online! |
How to get Russian tourist visa?
Key topics:
- How to apply for the Russian tourist visa?
- How to renew the Russian tourist visa?
- Travel duration available to tourist visa holders
- Registration of foreign citizens
- Consular fee
How to apply for the Russian tourist visa?
To do this, it is necessary to preliminarily obtain a tourist invitation first. Then provide a full package of documents to the consular office of Russia and pay the visa application fee. The package of documents might differ depending on a consular office. However, tourist visa application, original passport and photos are a universal requirement.
Before you apply, contact the Consulate to confirm the original tourist visa invitation is absolutely necessary or a copy will be sufficient. Be prepared that the Consulate officials may ask you to provide medical insurance for the entire duration of the trip to Russia, acquired at a local or national insurance company.
Depending on the Consulate, your tourist visa application can take 1-2 weeks to process. Based on a personal decision of Consul, visa can be granted in 1-2 days.
How to renew the Russian tourist visa?
Unfortunately, it is not possible to extend a tourist visa. However, in some exceptional cases, such as emergency treatment or other force majeure situations, visa can be extended.
Learn more about the general principle of extension of visas: Applying for the Russian visa > How to renew Russian visa?
Travel duration available to holders of the tourist visa
Russian tourist visa is issued for a period of up to 30 days. If an applicant is requesting a visa for a period of more than 2 weeks, the Consulate officials may request confirmation of the hotel for the duration of your intended stay in the Russian Federation as well as your travel itinerary.
If the validity of this type of visa is not suitable for your for any reason, you can find other types of visas.
Read more: Types of Russian invitation letters.
Registration of foreign citizens
All foreign citizens are obligated to complete the temporary registration procedure within 7 days following their arrival to Russia. In order to do it, each foreign person is given a migration card with the date of his/her crossing the border indicated in it.
Read more: How to register Russian Visa?
Consular fee
The amount of the consular fee charged for processing tourist visa application documents, depends on the applicant's nationality. They are determined by bilateral interstatal agreements.
For example, the citizens of Schengen countries are charged a visa fee of 35 € for processing visa application within 4-10 days and 70 euros for a minimum clearance of up to 3 days. Citizens of the United States and Canada must pay the application fee when applying for a tourist visa at the rate of $ 140 for a 4-10 days processing time and $ 250 if they need to have their visa application considered within 3 days.
Issuance of the Russian tourist invitation
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