Most foreign citizens are required to have a valid visa to enter the Russian Federation. Russian visas must indicate entry/exit dates written in a European way (date/month/year). To get a visa several documents need to be presented to the Russian Consulate or Embassy in a visitor’s country. The set of documents will differ according to the type of visa a person is willing to get.

Required Documents

The type of visa depends on a stay length, purpose of visit and an invitation form that a visitor has at his or her disposal. The most frequently used are tourist, business and guest visas. Another differentiation is based on the numbers of entries to the country: there could be single-, double- or multi-entry visas.

Despite the differences in visas’ characteristics there are general document requirements for getting any visa:

1. National passport
   A visitor's passport must be valid for at least three months prior to the intended date of the departure from Russia.
2. Visa application
   An application form is obtained from the Russian Consulate and must be thoroughly completed in block letters.
3. Three passport-size photographs
   The photographs should be signed on the back, not more than a year old.
4. Invitation letter
   Invitation letter or documents substituting for it are to be presented in accordance with the purpose of a visit:
   
   
   • For tourists: confirmation of hotel reservations or confirmation of bookings from a travel agency. This must include information about tourist services prepayment. The documents to be presented are as follows: a copy of a tourist voucher or a message from a hotel with a confirmation of accommodation booking and tickets with fixed dates. A tourist could also be asked to provide some documents proving that he or she has sufficient funds for the trip.
   • For a business trip: an official business invitation from a Russian company approved by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
   • For a private visit: a letter of invitation from relatives or friends - "Izveschenie". It should be registered with OVIR (office of visas and registrations). Friends or relatives of a visitor should get an invitation form from a local OVIR office in Russia and send it to their guest. The procedure is likely to be lengthy and troublesome.
   • For a transit passage: copy of a ticket and a valid entry visa to a country of destination are required.
   
   
5. For stay exceeding 3 months or multi-entry visa HIV test results need to be presented.
   Note: an invitation must contain full name of the traveler, date of birth, passport number, dates of entry/departure and information about itinerary. All invitations must be printed on letter-heads, signed and sealed.

1. In compliance with new regulations, in addition to general document requirements for getting tourist visa (valid national passport, visa application, and invitation letter), a foreign visitor needs to present a contract for rendering tourist service and a confirmation letter that acknowledges that the tourist organization shall receive the named foreign citizen. In order to avoid unnecessary troubles, try to present an original travel contract to the Embassy or Consulate.

2. Migration cards are to be filled in by foreign citizens and stateless persons at customs control when entering the Russian Federation. These cards shall contain all the necessary information about foreign citizens and stateless persons coming to Russia and were introduced for the purpose of control over their stay on the territory of the Russian Federation. Foreign citizens should hand these migratory forms back at their departure. In case of loss of migratory cards foreign citizens should report the loss to regional bodies of domestic affairs domiciliary within 3 days. The entry of a foreign citizen shall be restricted in case if the person did not submit the migration card during his last stay in the Russian Federation.

• Although sometimes it is more comfortable to get documents ready in advance, it's quite usual to get a visa just a few days before the trip.
• Visa applicant may be required to attend an interview with the Russian consular officer or to answer some questions by phone.
• A good thing to do is to contact a good tourist office for help in travel documents preparation and up-to-date information since visa regulations could be changed. Besides, professional tourist agents will prevent unnecessary waste of time and nerves.
• After a visa is received it is better to check that all the data are correct, especially dates.

The time period indicated in visa should be strictly observed: visitors must not leave later than it is stated in their visas, otherwise they are likely to face unpleasant bureaucracy procedures.

All travelers who spend more than three days in Russia must register their visas. Usually the host organization is responsible for that, for example hotels do that automatically with tourist visas. If a visa is not registered, some difficulties might be encountered on leaving the country.

A visitor should carry his or her passport with a registered visa because random document checks carried out by local police are possible. Failure to provide proper documentation can lead to detention and heavy fines. Anyway, it is advisable to have photocopies of passports and visas, which will facilitate replacement in case of loss.