Who needs a visa to enter Russia?

To enter the territory of the Russian Federation, citizens of the majority of states are required to obtain a visa in advance.

There are also countries whose citizens do not require a visa to enter Russia, however, the period of their stay on the territory of the Russian Federation is in most cases limited and cannot exceed 90 (60 / 30 /14) days at a time or within six months.

  • List of countries for which a visa regime with Russia is established or absent 
  • Special Visa Regime

If you found out that you need a visa to Russia

Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Getting a Russian Visa

List of countries whose citizens need or do not need a visa to Russia

If you are a citizen of the EU, Japan or the USA, you need a visa to Russia. More detailed information for each country is provided in the table [source - Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation].

Citizenship

Is a visa required to enter Russia?

Migration Risk 
(details)

Comments
Abkhazia visa not required   Visa-free for all types of passports (including internal ones).
Afghanistan visa required high level of risk  
Albania visa required    
Algeria visa required migration risk country  
Andorra visa not required   Up to 90 days total within a calendar year.
Angola visa required migration risk country  
Antigua and Barbuda visa not required migration risk country Up to 90 days total within a calendar year.
Argentina visa not required   Up to 90 days per single stay.
Armenia visa not required   Up to 90 days total within a calendar year.
Australia visa required    
Austria visa required   Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Visa-free regime for air crew members.
Azerbaijan visa not required   Up to 90 days total within a calendar year.
Bahamas visa required    
Bahrain visa required   Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Bangladesh visa required migration risk country  
Barbados visa required migration risk country  
Belarus visa not required   Up to 90 days total within a calendar year.
Belgium visa required   Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Visa-free for air crew members.
Belize visa not required migration risk country Up to 90 days total within a calendar year.
Benin visa required migration risk country Up to 90 days visa-free for diplomatic and service passport holders.
Bhutan visa required migration risk country Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days.
Bolivia visa not required   Up to 90 days total within a calendar year.
Bosnia and Herzegovina visa not required   Up to 30 days per single stay out of 60.
Botswana visa not required migration risk country Up to 30 days per single stay.
Brazil visa not required   Up to 90 days total within a calendar year.
Brunei Darussalam visa not required migration risk country Up to 14 days per single stay.
Bulgaria visa required  

Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Visa-free for crew members of sea and air vessels.
Burkina Faso visa required migration risk country Up to 90 days visa-free for diplomatic and service passport holders.
Burundi visa required migration risk country Up to 90 days visa-free for diplomatic and service passport holders.
Cabo Verde visa not required migration risk country

Up to 60 days visa-free on regular passports.
Cambodia visa required migration risk country Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Cameroon visa required migration risk country  
Canada visa required    
CAR visa required migration risk country  
Chad visa required migration risk country  
Chile visa not required   Up to 90 days per single stay.
China visa required migration risk country

Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Visa-free for train brigade members, crew members of sea, river and air vessels.
Visa-free up to 15 days for tourist groups of 5 to 50 people (based on certified lists and confirmations from Russian tour operators about reception)
Colombia visa not required migration risk country Up to 90 days per single stay.
Comoros visa required migration risk country  
Costa Rica visa not required   Up to 90 days per single stay.
Côte d'Ivoire visa required migration risk country  
Croatia visa required  

Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Visa-free for air crew members.
Cuba visa not required   Up to 90 days per single stay.
Cyprus visa required  

Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Visa-free for crew members of air and sea vessels.
Czech Republic visa required  

Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Visa-free for air crew members.
DR Congo visa required migration risk country  
Denmark visa required   Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Djibouti visa required migration risk country  
Dominica visa not required   Up to 90 days per single stay.
Dominican Republic visa not required   Up to 60 days per single stay.
East Timor visa required migration risk country  
Ecuador visa not required   Up to 90 days per single stay.
Egypt visa required migration risk country  
El Salvador visa not required   Up to 90 days per single stay.
Equatorial Guinea visa required migration risk country  
Eritrea visa required high level of risk  
Estonia visa required  

Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Up to 90 days total within a calendar year for non-citizens of Estonia on regular passports.
Eswatini visa required migration risk country Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days.
Ethiopia visa required migration risk country  
Federated States of Micronesia visa required migration risk country  
Fiji visa not required migration risk country Up to 90 days per single stay.
Finland visa required   Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Visa-free for air crew members.
France visa required  

Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Visa-free for air crew members.
Gabon visa required migration risk country  
Gambia visa required migration risk country  
Georgia visa not required    
Germany visa required   Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days.
Ghana visa required migration risk country  
Greece visa required   Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Visa-free for air crew members.
Grenada visa not required   Up to 90 days per single stay.
Guatemala visa not required   Up to 90 days per single stay.
Republic of Guinea visa required migration risk country  
Guinea-Bissau visa required migration risk country  
Guyana visa not required migration risk country Up to 90 days per single stay.
Haiti visa required migration risk country  
Honduras visa not required migration risk country Up to 90 days per single stay.
Hong Kong SAR visa not required   up to 14 days per single stay without a visa.
Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Hungary visa required   Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Iceland visa required   Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Visa-free for air crew members.
India visa required migration risk country

Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Visa-free for air crew members.
Indonesia visa required migration risk country

Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Iran visa required migration risk country Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Visa-free for members of organized tourist groups for up to 15 days.
Iraq visa required high level of risk  
Ireland visa required   Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Israel visa not required   Up to 90 days per single stay.
Italy visa required   Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Visa-free for air crew members.
Jamaica visa not required migration risk country Up to 90 days per single stay.
Japan visa required -

Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Visa-free for crew members of "Aeroflot", "JAL", "ANA" airlines, as well as for visiting the Southern Kuril Islands for specific purposes (based on lists certified by the Russian Embassy in Japan).
Jordan visa required migration risk country Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days.
Kazakhstan visa not required  
Visa-free for all types of passports (including internal ones).
Kenya visa required migration risk country Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days.
Kiribati visa required    
Kuwait visa required migration risk country Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Kyrgyzstan visa not required   Visa-free for all types of passports (including internal ones).
Laos visa not required migration risk country Up to 30 days per single stay.
Latvia visa required  

Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Visa-free up to 90 days:

  • on regular passports – for "residents of certain border areas without visas if their passports contain a 'permit for local border stay'";
  • for non-citizens of Latvia.
Lebanon visa required migration risk country  
Lesotho visa required migration risk country  
Liberia visa required high level of risk  
Libya visa required high level of risk  
Liechtenstein visa required   Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Visa-free for air crew members.
Lithuania visa required  

Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Visa-free for crew members of sea, river and air vessels.
Luxembourg visa required   Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Visa-free for air crew members.
Macao visa not required   Up to 30 days per single stay.
Madagascar visa required migration risk country  
Malawi visa required migration risk country  
Malaysia visa required   Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Maldives visa not required migration risk country Up to 90 days per single stay.
Mali visa required migration risk country  
Malta visa required   Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Visa-free for air crew members.
Mauritania visa required migration risk country  
Mauritius visa not required migration risk country Up to 60 days per single stay.
Mexico visa required  

Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Moldova visa not required   Up to 90 days per single stay.
Monaco visa required   Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Mongolia visa not required   Up to 30 days per single stay.
Montenegro visa not required   Up to 30 days per single stay.
Morocco visa required migration risk country  
Mozambique visa required migration risk country  
Myanmar visa required migration risk country Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Namibia visa not required migration risk country Up to 90 days total within a calendar year.
Nauru visa not required   Up to 14 days per single stay.
Nepal visa required migration risk country  
Netherlands visa required   Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Visa-free for air crew members.
New Zealand visa required    
Nicaragua visa not required   Up to 90 days per single stay.
Niger visa required migration risk country  
Nigeria visa required migration risk country  
North Korea visa required high level of risk Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
North Macedonia visa required   Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days.
Visa-free from 30 to 90 days with an original invitation.
Visa-free for crew members of sea, river and air vessels.
Norway visa required  

Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Visa-free for air crew members and residents of certain border areas with a 'permit for local border stay'.
Oman visa required migration risk country Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Pakistan visa required high level of risk  
Palau visa not required   Up to 30 days per single stay.
Palestine visa required high level of risk  
Panama visa not required   Up to 90 days per single stay.
Papua New Guinea visa required migration risk country Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days.
Paraguay visa not required   Up to 90 days per single stay.
Peru visa not required   Up to 90 days per single stay.
Philippines visa required migration risk country Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Poland visa required  

Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Visa-free for crew members of air and sea vessels.
Portugal visa required  

Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Visa-free for air crew members.
Puerto Rico visa required    
Qatar visa not required   Up to 90 days per single stay.
Republic of Côte d'Ivoire visa required migration risk country  
Republic of Korea visa not required   Up to 60 days per single stay.
Republic of the Congo visa required migration risk country  
Romania visa required  

Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Visa-free for air crew members.
Rwanda visa required high level of risk  
Saint Kitts and Nevis visa not required   Up to 90 days per single stay.
Saint Lucia visa required   Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines visa not required   Up to 90 days per single stay.
Samoa visa not required   Up to 60 days per single stay.
San Marino visa required   Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Sao Tome and Principe visa required    
Saudi Arabia visa required migration risk country Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Senegal visa required migration risk country  
Serbia visa not required   Visa-free up to 30 days per single stay.
Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days.
Seychelles visa not required migration risk country Up to 30 days per single stay.
Sierra Leone visa required migration risk country  
Singapore visa required  

Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days.
Slovakia visa required   Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Visa-free for air crew members.
Slovenia visa required  

Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Visa-free for air crew members.
Solomon Islands visa required    
Somalia visa required high level of risk  
South Ossetia visa not required    
South Africa visa not required migration risk country
Up to 90 days per single stay.
Spain visa required  

Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Visa-free for air crew members.
Sri Lanka visa required migration risk country

Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Visa-free for air crew members.
Sudan visa required high level of risk  
Suriname visa not required migration risk country Up to 90 days per single stay.
Sweden visa required   Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Visa-free for air crew members.
Switzerland visa required   Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days.
Syria visa required high level of risk  
Tajikistan visa not required   Up to 90 days per single stay.
Tanzania visa required migration risk country  
Thailand visa not required   Up to 30 days per single stay.
Togo visa required migration risk country  
Tonga visa required migration risk country Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days.
Trinidad and Tobago visa required migration risk country Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days.
Tunisia visa required migration risk country  
Turkey visa required migration risk country Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Visa-free for air crew members
up to 30 days for professional drivers performing international road transport.
Turkmenistan visa required migration risk country Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days.
Visa-free for crew members of sea, river and air vessels, as well as railway train brigade workers.
Tuvalu visa required migration risk country  
UAE visa not required   Up to 90 days per single stay.
Uganda visa required migration risk country  
Ukraine visa not required    
United Kingdom visa required    
USA visa required    
Uruguay visa not required   Up to 90 days per single stay.
Uzbekistan visa not required   Up to 90 days per single stay.
Vanuatu visa not required   Up to 90 days per single stay.
Vatican City visa required  

Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days.
Up to 90 days visa-free for diplomatic passport holders.
Venezuela visa not required   Up to 90 days per single stay.
Vietnam visa required migration risk country Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days. 
Yemen visa required high level of risk  
Zambia visa required migration risk country  
Zimbabwe visa required migration risk country Can enter with an e-visa for up to 30 days.

Special Visa Regime

To enter and subsequently stay on the territory of the Russian Federation, a person holding citizenship of another state must obtain visa documents. However, there are two exceptional cases in which a special visa regime applies.

  1. Children under the age of sixteen.
    • A visa is not required for a child under 16 years old if they are included in the parent's passport and traveling with them.
    • When the child's name is not indicated in the parents' passports or they are traveling without parental accompaniment, a visa must be obtained for the child. It will be valid with a notarized consent from the parents (guardians).
    • If the child and parents have different surnames, a visa is required for the child with an attached birth certificate.
  1. Passengers traveling on cruise ships.
    • A visa is not required for passengers of a cruise ship if the ship's stay in port is more than 72 hours and the passengers spend the night on board the ship.
    • St. Petersburg is the only port of call on the entire route of the ship.
    • Passengers leaving the ship only as part of an organized tour do not require a visa.
    • A passenger is prohibited from leaving the ship if their passport has expired or if they do not have a voucher from the host party.
    • Citizens of other states traveling on a cruise ship who wish to go beyond the port territory outside of organized tours must obtain a Russian visa in advance (the decision to issue or deny a visa is made at the Russian embassy, and documents cannot be processed at the port).

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

  • Tourist visa - for example: tourism, sightseeing;
  • Business visa - for example: conferences, business meetings;
  • E-visa - for example: short-term trips;
  • Work visa - for example: working for a Russian company;
  • Private visa - for example: meeting friends in Russia (but it's more practical and cheaper to use a tourist visa).

To obtain a Russian Visa you need to:

  1. Fill out our online form and receive an Invitation to Russia
  2. Use the step-by-step guide for obtaining a visa to Russia, using your personal data and information from the Invitation to Russia
A visa to Russia is required for most countries in the world, except for South American countries and some countries in the Middle East and Asia.
If you are a citizen of the EU, countries in Asia or Africa, as well as Japan or the USA, you will need a visa to Russia. More detailed information for each country is provided in the table.
To enter and subsequently stay on the territory of the Russian Federation, a person holding citizenship of another state must obtain visa documents. However, there are two exceptional cases in which a special visa regime applies, when a visa is not needed.
  1. Children under the age of sixteen who are included in a parent's passport. 
  2. Passengers traveling on cruise ships.
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