Details about visa for Russia

IMMIGRATION AND VISAS

Passport Requirements:-

All travelers need a passport, except the following: 

1. Refugees and persons without nationality or holding certificates of citizenship issued by the country in which they live. 
2. Travelers with a Seaman Bok provided they fly on duty. 
3. Travelers with a ‘Laissez-Passer’ issued by the United Nations and other countries if tickets and entry documents for a country outside Russia have been verified.
4. ‘Kinderausweis’ passengers, a German identification document was given to children less than 16 years old. There is no requirement for the document to include a picture of the infant for children younger than ten. 
5. Russian citizens with a repatriation stamp, which is a return to Russia stamp.

Document Validity:-

On arrival, passports, and alternative documents, or any of them, must be valid.

Additional Information:-

1. Russian people may be able to enter with an expired passport, but it is not possible to leave Russia with an expired passport. However, upon arrival in Russia, travelers will be forced to pay a fine.
2. Double citizenship is recognized by Russia. However, travelers should ensure that the same document arrives and departs from Russia.

Minors:-

Russian children under the age of 18, leaving the Russian Federation and traveling alone, must be accompanied by a certified letter in Russian, indicating that the child can leave the Russian Federation. This also refers to children not living but holding a Russian passport in the Russian Federation.

Visa Issuance:-

Until arrival: The travelers are kindly requested to contact the Russian Federation’s nearest delegate.

Visa Exemptions:-

All travelers must carry a visa except for the following:

1. People of Russia.

2. Passport travelers provided by Hong Kong stay for a period of no more than 14 days.

3. People of Costa Rica with a service or diplomatic passport and a stay of no more than three months.

4. Iranian and Romanian people have separate, departmental, diplomatic, or official passports if they have them.

5. Citizens of the Republic of Serbia, if they have the following:

• Passports for diplomacy or service.
• Fresh, regular, red-colored passports and remain for no more than 30 days.

6. Thai citizens, if they fly for leisure and stay for no more than 30 days.

7. Citizens of the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent Nations, except for Georgia and Turkmenistan.

8. Citizens of Mali and Turkmenistan have been issued service passports or diplomatic passports.

9. Citizens of Guatemala who have outstanding, diplomatic, or service passports.

10. People of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro for as long as:

• Provided they have ordinary passports:
• a passport stamp with ‘poslovno’ and ‘prodelovno’ or one of them (this exception does not extend to citizens of Croatia); or
• the formally annotated invitation; or
• a hotel or tourist voucher (issued by a Russian tourist agency with a license).
• Diplomatic or service passports.

11. Mongolian people if they come for social visits and keep an invitation from or for business from a resident in Russia and keep proof of this or for tourism and hold hotel receipts.

12. People with diplomatic passports in Switzerland or Norway.

13. Cuban residents will stay for no more than thirty days.

14. For any six-month duration, citizens of Argentina, Israel, and Venezuela with regular passports remain for no more than 90 days.

15. Travelers with an ‘Alien Passport’ issued by Estonia or Latvia, including any children named in the paper.

16. Ecuadorian people holding official, diplomatic, or special passports stay for a period of 90 days.

17. Citizens of the People’s Republic of China carry diplomatic passports and remain for no more than thirty days.

18. Citizens of Chile, El Salvador, Honduras, Jamaica, Pakistan, and Paraguay keep official or diplomatic passports for not exceeding 90 days.

19. Syrian people holding special, diplomatic, or service passports are not permitted to remain for more than 30 days.

20. German, Italian, or Polish residents with a temporary residency permit provided by the Russian Federation.

21. Peruvian people holding special, diplomatic, or service passports remain for no more than 90 days.

22. Citizens of Albania, Benin, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde Island, Ethiopia, Hungary, Indonesia, Morocco, Panama, Venezuela, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe as long as they have service or diplomatic passports and are staying for no more than 90 days.

23. Citizens of Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, France, Germany, Guyana, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Austria, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Greece, Spain, Sweden, or Turkey as long as they have diplomatic passports and are staying for no more than 90 days.

24. Citizens of Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Egypt, the Republic of Guinea, India, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Myanmar, Nicaragua, the Philippines, the Slovak Republic, the Republic of Thailand, and the Republic of Uruguay, given that they have a service, diplomatic or official passport and have a stay of no more than 90 days.

TWOV (Transit without Visa):-

For travelers continuing their trip within 24 hours without leaving the airport transit area, TWOV is permissible:

a. A transit visa is necessary if the airport of arrival is different from the airport of departure within the same Russian city or if travelers continue their journey on domestic flights (including Belarus) (such as arriving at Sheremetyevo-2 and departing from Sheremetyevo-1 airport in Moscow), as the traveler enters Russian Federation territory.

Additional information:-

1. For their next journey, travelers must have a return or onward ticket and all required documentation.

Exception:

• Travelers who have a visa.
• The people of Azerbaijan, Belarus, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Moldova, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan.

2. Travellers visiting their relatives must, upon arrival, register with the local police and have their visa registered. If you stay in a hotel, the hotel will plan to do so.

3. It is strongly recommended for all travelers to have approved health insurance or travel insurance that will cover all medical costs.

4. An Immigration Card that can be issued free of charge on arrival or onboard must be available to all travelers. In the event of a scheduled stay of more than three days in Russia, travelers must register their immigration cards and visas with their sponsors or hotel.

5. Citizens of Armenia living in Armenia with regular passports must have a passport containing a stamp that allows them to leave and re-enter Armenia. For the entire length of the stay abroad, including entry into or transit through Russia, the dates of the permit must apply.

6. A passport containing a consular registration stamp issued by the Armenian Embassy or Consulate General of Armenia along with a residency permit must be issued to Armenian citizens with normal passports residing in a country different from Armenia.

7. Expired passports or other expired travel documents are not accepted for valid visas.

Information to know:-

Where travelers do not comply with transit or entry laws, penalties of not less than USD 1,800 not more than USD 3,600 or they are equal in domestic currency by each traveler shall be payable to the carrier. Travelers will be responsible for paying a RUB 1,000 government fine and can either be deported on the first available flight by the same airline or delayed for an undetermined time upon arrival in the country of entry.

CUSTOMS AND FOREIGN EXCHANGE

Import regulations:-

1. Travellers aged 18 years or older are permitted to import the following items free of charge:

• For personal use, a moderate volume of perfume.
• Maximum of 250 grams of caviar for everyone (only if it is factory packed).
• One hundred cigars or 400 cigarettes or 500 grams of tobacco or 200 cigarillos, given that only one type of tobacco is imported (or that only half of the quantity is allowed).
• Objects up to a personal usage value of RUB 65,000 only.
• Travelers aged 21 years or older can import 3 liters of alcoholic beverages.

2. They may not import the following items:

• Photographs and printed matter intended for Russia, sturgeons, and all their goods and live animals, subject to special permission.
• Fruits, drugs, military ammunition, guns, and vegetables.
• Armenian and Georgian meat and dairy products.

Export regulations:-

• The traveler must have a special permit from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to export all forms of weapons.
• Customs taxes or fees shall not apply to exported items for personal use.
• With a written permit provided by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and with a picture of an exported article, artistic, archaeological, and historical objects are permitted.

They may not export the following items:

• Firearms, arms, precious metals (gold, silver, etc.) and articles made of them (See note below); this also applies when such articles include, or include, actual pearls and precious stones.
• Fish belonging to the family Acipenseridae (Sturgeons) and all of its items, subject to special permission.
• Antiques (such as articles older than 50 years), furs and works of art, subject to customs duties, and a special permit given by the Ministry of Culture.

Notes:-

Exception: where such objects are part of the traveler’s imported personal belongings (such as personal jewelry) and have been declared upon arrival.

Pets:-

Accompanying the birds, cats, and dogs must be:

1. A foreign veterinary passport; the importation from the veterinary department of the Ministry of Agriculture of all animals, except cats and dogs, requires a special import permit.

2. Official veterinary health certificate; people of the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States may, instead, present a veterinary license provided that it bears the seal of the local Health Board and is given no more than ten days prior to arrival. A certificate stating that they are free from bird flu must accompany the pigeons. Generally, in hotels, pet animals are not permitted.

Baggage Clearance regulations:-

1. The luggage of travelers in transit destinations outside Russia, including all countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States, must be checked at the destination, irrespective of the arrival or departure terminal. The luggage of passengers in transit areas with an onward destination inside Russia must be cleared at Russia’s first airport of entry.

2. Up to 35 kilograms of luggage or a value of RUB 65,000 is permitted for travelers entering Russia. If the luggage reaches the cap or value approved, a customs fee of EUR 4 per kilo or a 30 percent additional value fee will be charged.

• The exemptions: Citizens of Russia who have spent more than six months away from the region.

Airport tax:-

When leaving the airport, all travelers are not allowed to pay any airport fees.

Currency Import regulations:-

Imports of local currency (Russian Rouble-RUB) and foreign currencies are not limited. Upon export, a written import declaration will be needed.

Currency Export regulations:-

Export of local currency (Russian Roubles) and foreign currencies is allowed without a letter of acknowledgment for up to 10,000 amounts. When the total amounts are greater than 3,000, a written declaration is required. The traveler must have a signed import declaration or some other certificate proving the importation or transfer to Russia of foreign currencies in excess of 10,000 if the total amount is more than 10,000.

Traveler’s cheques are allowed within the limits of the amounts previously imported, provided that adequate documentation is submitted without a written declaration being required. A written declaration (red channel) is necessary for travelers’ cheques purchased in Russia.

Additional Information on regulations:-

1. A customs declaration filled in upon entry into Russia or any other Commonwealth of Independent States member country must be carefully held. This declaration must be handed in while leaving Russia or any of those countries on an international flight.

2. Except for goods imported from Georgia and Armenia, meat and dairy products are permitted if they are packaged in the original packaging of the factory and in amounts that can be considered for personal use. Larger amounts will be subject to inspection, and the appropriate certificates, including veterinary health records, will be appropriate to be issued by travelers.

Arms and Ammunition regulations:-

They are forbidden from importing and exporting military arms and ammunition.

What are the Russia visas you can apply with Click2Visas?

Apply Tourist Invitation Letter Single Entry to Russia
Tourist Invitation Letter Single Entry, a document that ultimately allowed travellers for a limited period of leisure travel in Russia, however no business, commercial, or paid activity is permitted.

Apply Business Invitation Letter Multiple Entry to Russia
Business Invitation Letter Multiple Entry is for activities that cannot be considered to be a work or gainful employment. In most cases, a valid invitation letter from the Russia may be required to apply.

Apply Tourist E-Visa Single Entry to Russia
Tourist E-Visa Single Entry is mainly for sight-seeing and holidays. Most of these visas do not give the holder the right to work or start engaging in any business activity in the Russia.

Apply Tourist Invitation Letter Double Entry to RussiaTourist Invitation Letter Double Entry is a short stay visa that permits the holder to enter Russia for tourist and leisure purposes only and stay for an approved period of time.

Apply Business E-visa Single Entry to Russia
Travellers with the sole purpose of participating in Business and related activities in Russia are eligible for a Business E-Visa Single Entry. Activities other than Business are not recommended.