VISAS & ENTRY RULES
To travel to Russia most foreign nationalities are required to have an Entry Visa to Russia. To have a visa issued, an official invitation processed by Russian governmental or officially authorized companies is required.
To receive a tourist visa a foreign citizen needs to address a diplomatic mission or any consular establishment of the Russian Federation personally or through a properly authorized representative and submit the following documents:
Current passport, valid for six months minimum after visa's expiry date and with at least 2 blank pages which do not need to be consecutive.
A completed visa questionnaire with one photo.
A 'Tourist voucher' and a 'Tourist confirmation'* documents stamped and signed by an authorized person. They can be obtained through your hotel or an approved travel agent, who organizes trips to Russia, and should be valid for the entire duration of your trip.
A photo of 3 x 4 cm.
An insurance policy if other is not provided by international treaties of the Russian Federation.
Additional documents may be required by the Russian Consulate depending on the country of a visa issue.
* for some countries, namely India, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Egypt , Iran, Mongolia, Republic of Tunisia, etc. the original Tourist voucher and Tourist confirmation are requested.
A Tourist Visa is issued according to the dates specified in the voucher and confirmation and can last for 30 days maximum, with a single or double entry. In any case a tourist visa does not allow a foreign visitor to have any kind of employment.
The cost of a consular fee for the Russian visa depends on a country of visa issue. The European Union citizens e.g. are charged 35 euros for a visa, and in case of an urgent visa receipt (within three days) the fee increases twice.
Upon arrival to the Russian Federation all tourists get a migration card, which has to be returned when leaving Russia. It is very important to keep the migration card till the end of the journey.
All foreign visitors should be registered within 1 workday after the arrival by the hotel administration.
More details and contacts of the Russian Consular abroad.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR TOURISTS ON BOARD OF CRUISE SHIPS
Tourists on board of large cruise ships when entering the Russian Federation through the following ports: Sochi, Novorossiysk, Vladivostok, Korsakov, Kaliningrad, Vyborg, St.Petersburg have the right to stay in the Russian Federation without a visa for up to 72 hours. They have the right to leave the ship and come back on board only as part of an organized tourist group. Those willing to leave the ship on their own or in a group of less than 5 tourists must have a visa.
RESTRICTION OF ENTRY TO THE TERRITORY OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
In connection with the discovery in South Africa and a number of other states of a new strain of SARS-CoV-2 (B.1.1.529), the Operational Headquarters for the Prevention of the Importation and Spread of New Coronavirus Infection in Russia made the following decisions:
- Due to the detection of Omicron, a new Covid-19 variant, in several countries, the task force for preventing the importation and spread of Covid-19 in the Russian Federation has temporarily restricted entry to Russia (including via third countries) for nationals and permanent residents of the following countries: South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Madagascar, Eswatini, Tanzania, Hong Kong and Kenya; as well as foreign nationals who visited the above countries within 14 days before arriving in Russia.
- To check-in and board an international flight, foreign nationals and stateless persons** travelling to the airports of the Russian Federation, including passengers in transit via airports in the Russian Federation, must present a medical document (certificate) with a negative Covid-19 result (PCR) in Russian or English; the test must have been taken no earlier than two calendar days (including the date of arrival) prior to arrival in the Russian Federation. The validity of the PCR test certificate is calculated starting from the date the biological material was collected.
- According to Decree No. 13 of July 07, 2020 of the Chief sanitary doctor of the Russian Federation, the mandatory 14-day quarantine has been canceled for both foreigners and Russian citizens.
- The sanitary department officially reduces, starting from December 8 (the resolution comes into force the day after its official publication - indicated in the text), the validity of a negative PCR test result from 72 to 48 hours from the time of the test.
- Locally Mandated QR Codes: are still required by some institutions in some areas. Their use has been left entirely to local authorities, meaning that restrictions can vary across Russian cities and even across institutions. Travelers are advised to research any city and institution they will need to visit before arriving to Russia, particularly archives if those will be a focus of your travel.
QR Codes for Foreigners (
see the procedure of obtaining it
)