Types of Visa

Types of Visa

There are several types of Russian visas:

- tourist visa
- business visa
- student visa
- private visa
- transit visa

What kind of visa you will need to apply for, depends on the purpose of your visit. Since tourist visas are much easier to obtain, people who come for a short business trip can simply opt for a tourist visa. Visitors who travel often to Russia, to visit friends, for work or just because they like the country so much, can do this with a business (multiple-entry) visa.

Keep in mind that Russian consulates can take 1-25 workdays to process visa applications depending on the consulate fee.

Tourist visa

The advantage of a tourist invitation is the low price and fast processing time. But remember that it can only be issued for a period for up to 30 days and with a single entry.

If you are planning to travel to Russia on holiday for a period up to 30 days this is your best choice. Note that this visa cannot be extended upon your arrival. Therefore, if you want to stay longer than 30 days, you should apply for a different type of visa (see business visa).

For this type of visa, you must have booked accommodation in Russia and it is your obligation to organise that prior to applying for visa. Most consulates accept a copy of the invitation (a fax or a printed out scanned copy), but sometimes they require originals. You should contact your local Russian consulate to find out exactly what they accept, although Russian travel agencies can also contact them on your behalf. See also visa and registration tricks.
If you are going to stay in a hotel, be aware of the fact that the Russian Consulate has a right to ask for your booking confirmation from the hotel together with your invitation.

Business visa (multiple entry)
Having this kind of visa in your passport doesn't allow you to work or receive salary in Russia. It can be issued only for those who travel to Russia to meet their partners, take part in negotiations, sign a contract or visit an exhibition, etc.

It can be single or double for 1-3 months and multiple-entry for 3, 6 and 12 months. The price depends on the issuing period - if you choose this option you should take into account that the procedure of getting the Russian visa in the Consulate itself usually takes about a week.
A multiple entry business visa allows you to stay in Russia up to 90 days out of the period of 180 days.

There are also restrictions on where you can apply for such a visa. Please contact your local Russian consulate about necessary details.

Do not forget to register your visa and migration card. The maximum period of registration for a business visa is 3 months.

You can easily register you Russian visa if you know address of your inviting company in Russia. In the first 3 business days you should visit their office and give in the documents for registration:

Copy of your passport first page
Copy of your visa
Copy of your migration card

Also a friend of yours or your relative can register you in the post office, if you are staying in his apartment.If you stay in a hotel, the receptionist must take care of your registration upon your arrival.

Student visa

If you come to Russia for a study programme at a (state) university, institute or school you will get a student visa. If the educational institute has a foreign department (most state universities do) you only have to send them all your details and the department will take care of all formalities. Your student invitation can be ready in 2-6 weeks, and they will send it to you by post or fax. It also happens that the university sends it by telex to your Russian consulate where you simply apply for your visa with your telex number.

If you are going to study Russian and your language school is attached to some Russian educational body you will get a student visa and the process will be about the same. When it is a private language school they probably will arrange an invitation for a tourist visa (up to 1 month), or a long-term business visa.

When you apply to the consulate for a student visa, you'll need to pay a normal fee, which will be about the same as for a tourist visa ($35-$100, depending on processing time, nationality of applicant and city of application).

For universities it is easy to register you: just bring them your passport with your Russian visa and immigration card, and the university's foreign department will pass your documents to OVIR (immigration officials) to register your visa. Normally, the registration can be done for the whole period of your visa.

With some invitations from universities or schools you get only a (single) entry visa, and if you would like to leave the country for holidays you need to ask for an exit visa at the foreign department of the educational institute. This can again take 1-2 weeks! When you return from your holiday you need to be re-registered. Take your passport, visa and new migration card to the university.

Private visa

You must have really good Russian friends or relatives who have lots of free time on their hands if you plan on travelling to Russia on a personal visa. To obtain this visa you must have a private invitation, for which your Russian host needs to go to the OVIR (Migration Office) for a personal invitation certificate, which takes 30 days (the immigration officials will check your host, friends or family) and costs around €30. The positive thing is that you can stay 90 days in Russia with such a guest visa, but it is only a single-entry visa.

For your local Russian consulate you need the original copy of the invitation for the visa application (so your host has to send it by post or expensive courier).

Don’t forget to register yourself at the OVIR by yourself within thee working days of arriving in Russia. If you are lucky, this may only cost you one day of time and stress, but you get a real Russian experience!!!

Transit visa

When you travel to another country through Russian territory you need a Russian transit visa. Generally, you can obtain this visa at your local Russian consulate by giving them the visa application form, three identical passport sized photos (3x4cm), your passport with the visa to the country of destination, and a copy of the air, railway or other ticket. Always check with your local Russian consulate to see what the requirements are.

For visa agencies offering visa support and registration services click here.