To venture around the Altai mountains, the Siberian taiga or the forests of Adygea most of us need to get a Russian visa. Putin won’t open his great Russia to Europe or the West anytime soon …
The following informations are mostly for European and Swiss passport holders about tourism related visas. If you are looking to gain informations about private and student visas you will have to look somewhere else.
Disclaimer : I do not work for any travel agency, embassy, nor the tourism industry. This page is for informative purpose only, to help you a bit in the messy and confusing Russian bureaucracy.
Last updated : 28/08/2024
I got a 1 month single entry tourist visa early August 2024 through the consulat in Strasburg, France. So yes, foreigners/westerners (depending on the nationality probably) can obtain a tourist visa even during western sanctions on Russia and “everything” that’s going on.
Click to read how I obtained it and how much I paid for it.
Sanctions travel facts
I highly recommend you to double check with the Russian embassy/consulate in your home country. Rules change quite quickly these days.
Travel insurance valid for the russian visa application
To apply for a russian visa you need an insurance (even for the e-visa), if you’re a citizen of the EU, Switzerland, Canada, UK or USA (and others), I recommend Attollo Assistance, a proper travel insurance valid for the visa application, with medical expenses up to 35 000 €, repatriation and 24/7 assistance. Learn more about it here.
The tourist visa
The regular tourist visa is valid for maximum 30 days or 90 days (3 months), single or multiple entry and the dates are fixed, meaning you cannot enter before or leave after your visa dates, but you can still enter after and leave before the expiry date.
You cannot apply more than 3 months prior your trip, and at last 2 weeks before it. I don’t recommend you to apply last minute because of the deadline, national holidays (yours and theirs) and other unexpected events.
The required documents for your application :
The business visa
I really recommend you the business visa if you have time and you wish to visit Russia beyond Moscow or get stuck seven days in a row in the Trans-Siberian and see Russia through a window at 50 kms per hour without a single stop … You can easily apply for a business visa even though you have no business to do there, no one will ask you anything at the border or elsewhere.
I have myself applied for one year visa, 6 months allowed to stay on Russian soil and never had any troubles or questions regarding it : Neither by immigration officers (6 entrances and exists), by the FSB (twice but for something else) or by regular police checks on the road (if so, the policeman wants a bribe … Don’t give him anything).
A business visa can last 3 months, 6 months or one year, but the maximum allowed on the Russian territory is 90 days in a row. So if your visa is valid for 3 months, you can stay there 90 days (3 months) without needing to leave; if your visa is valid 6 months you can only spend 3 months there, spread on the 6 months period of time. And if you have a one year visa validity, you will be able to stay twice 90 days (3 months). It’s quite confusing, I admit it.
I have heard of some travelers not leaving after 90 days and never got in troubles. At your own risks! I personnally wouldn”t try.
The required documents for your application :
The “working holiday” visa
So what is exacty a “working holiday visa” ? It’s a sort of resident visa allowing you to work in the country to fund your travels.
Don’t get too excited about it. You will have to battle to obtain this visa, and in the end it is not worth it as no one will really offer you a working contract in Russia unless it is a big compagny that doesn’t avoid declaring its employees and paying its taxes …
And Russia isn’t really the best country to make money unless you are willing to deal with mafia & illegal stuffs …
I have applied for this visa on my first long trip to Russia, back in 2016. It was valid for four months only ! Not all nationalities have this agreement. You may have heard of working holiday visas to Australia, New Zealand, or Canada, which are much better because you can work for real for a year or more in the country.
You must check if your country signed an agreement with Russia. So far I have only heard of my country, France, but they might be others in the futur.
If you find out your country made a deal with Russia for a Working Holiday visa, here are the documents they will probably ask you for :
The E-visa
The e-visa is back. Yes, since the 1st of August 2023 the e-visa is once more available and the russian authorities even made some welcome changes !
The russian e-visa is now available for 16 days (15 nights) instead of 8 days, for European passport holders and 28 more countries (Qatar, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iran, the Philippines, Malaysia, China, Japan, South Korea, Turkey etc). A total of 55 nationalities can obtain it.
The second biggest change is that now the whole country is included, not just Kaliningrad and the Saint Petersburg region. You can enter Russia with an e-visa by air, land or sea.
They are 50+ entry points to Russia ; have a look at the official website to view them all.
The e-visa can be obtain within 4 days and is valid for 60 days, meaning you can enter whenever you wish during 2 months period but can only stay 16 days on russian soil. You cannot apply earlier than 40 days and no later than 4 days before entering the country.
I have heard and read about many travellers who have been denied on arrival on the Russian territory because of their e-visa. There were mistakes between the informations on their passports and the ones shown on the e-visa. When you receive your e-visa, always verify each of your names, none has to be missing and the dates of travels are correct.
This also applies on any visa application, in Russia or elsewhere.
The e-visa costs is 50 US$ – equivalent in euros. Apply directly online on the official website. No need to pay for a travel agency.
I wrote a full tutorial + made a detailed video on Youtube to apply for the e-visa. Click to check it out.
The required documents for your application :
No LOI (Voucher) needed, nor any hotel booking reservation.
The letter of invitation
The letter of invitation, also called LOI or Voucher is the major dilemma in the visa application process. I have listed below an agency to get a cheap LOI.
If you’ve found an agency online but the offer is too cheap to be true, check on the official Federal website of the travel agencies to see if it’s legit or fake. Simply enter the PTO + the number of the agency you can find on the travel agency’s website.
Watch out for Francophones and probably others agencies affiliated to Russian ones with different names. Their registration number might not appear on their website because they belong to a Russian agency, but it doesn’t mean it’s a scam. Just email them and ask about it.
I recommend you GoingRus for a cheap LOI. Prices start at 14 US$ for single and double entry tourist visa and about 30 US$ for multiple entry visa.
My tips
Here are a few extra useful tips :
You are struggling or still have questions you can’t find answers online to ? Any help to fill up the application form ? Send me a message and I will try to help you as much as I can.
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