Please note that citizens of the United States, United Kingdom and Canada should complete a different application form, which can be found here.

Download the application file by clicking on the ‘download’ button below.

Please note that citizens of the United States, United Kingdom and Canada should complete a different application form, which can be found here.

Download the application file by clicking on the ‘download’ button below.

Please note that citizens of the United States, United Kingdom and Canada should complete a different application form, which can be found here.

Download the application file by clicking on the ‘download’ button below.

Please note that citizens of the United States, United Kingdom and Canada should complete a different application form, which can be found here.

Download the application file by clicking on the ‘download’ button below.

Download the application file by clicking on the ‘download’ button below.

The procedure for doing this depends on where you are staying.

Staying in a hotel/hostel

If you are staying in a hotel or hostel, everything will be taken care of for you. You will need to hand in your passport and migration card to the hotel/hostel staff. You will need to register on the day that you arrive.Your hotel will usually register your visa only for the period of time you actually stay in that hotel. This means you will need to register again if you travel to a different city, or if you do not stay in the hotel for the entire period of your visit to Russia.

Registering with GetRussian

If you are staying in private accommodation, or if you will be visiting more than one city and do not wish to pay for registration at every hotel you visit, you can take advantage of GetRussian registration service, which will take care of your registration for your entire stay in Russia. This means have to register your visa only once.

When ordering your visa invitation through the GetRussian site, you should choose to add visa registration as an additional service. Once you have ordered this, you can register with our office in Moscow.

1. Registering in person. You can call in to our office in central Moscow during normal working hours with your passport and migration card (which is given to you and completed on arrival in Russia). Your passport will be taken and submitted to the migration authorities, and will be ready to collect the same day if you submit your documents before 1pm. You will be provided with a letter explaining that your passport is in the process of being registered, which you can show to the police in case your documents are checked during the time your passport is with the migration authorities.
2. Please note that registration by email is not currently available because of a change in the registration rules by the migrations authorities.

We ask you to submit these documents within 2 working days of arriving in Russia, to ensure they reach the migration authorities in time. If you did not pay for registration when ordering your invitation through our site, please contact usand we can arrange for this to be added to your order.

Important:

You must register within three working days of arriving in Russia, or you risk being fined upon leaving the country. Weekends and public holidays do not count towards this 3 day deadline.

Once filled in, immigration officials will stamp your migration card, and return it to you. You must ensure you keep it safe and do not lose it, as you need to hand it in when you leave Russia at the end of your trip.

You can see a sample migration card on this page.

Your visa invitation should show the following elements:

• A tour voucher with valid voucher number
• Your travel details
• The stamp of a tour company endorsed by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• A confirmation with valid confirmation number.
• The name and address of the tour company providing your invitation, together with a special reference number granted by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
• The signature and stamp of the director of the tour company

When ordering an invitation, ensure that the tour company you choose for this service can definitely provide all of these elements, or you risk being refused a visa by the Russian embassy. Visa support from GetRussian includes all of these essential components.

• Order a visa invitation (otherwise known as visa support). This document is issued by a licensed travel agency and can be ordered through our site. Order your Russian visa invitation now.
• Complete the visa application form. You will need to send this along with your visa invitation to the Russian embassy when applying for your visa. You can download the relevant application forms on our site.
• Send your application to your nearest Russian embassy or consulate. You can do this in person, or by mail. You will also need to include a passport photo in your application. Check with the Russian embassy itself to see whether they have any other specific requirements.

When you have completed these steps, your Russian visa should be ready within a few days.

If you have any other questions, use the search form at the top of the page or take a look at our frequently asked questions page, where you will be able to find responses to most common questions.

Getting a Russian Visa Step 1: Get a visa invitation.

Before applying for the visa itself, all visa applicants require an invitation (also known as visa support, or the voucher and confirmation).

You can order your visa invitation online through our site. Our invitations are recognized by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and include both the voucher and the confirmation.

Getting a Russian Visa Step 2: Prepare documentation.

Once you have purchased an invitation, you should have all of the following documents ready to send to the Russian embassy:

Visa invitation.

• You should have obtained this in step 1, above.

Passport.

• Must be valid for at least 6 months after the end of your proposed visit to Russia.
• Your passport must have at least one empty page in it.

Passport-sized photograph.

• Photograph not more than 6 months old.
• In colour.
• Printed on normal photographic paper.
• Glued to the correct section of the application form.

Completed visa application form.

• Download the correct visa application form.
• US citizens must complete a separate form.
• We provide a complete guide to completing the application form for all visa support customers.

Other requirements.

• Contact the Consulate directly in order to find out their visa processing time and charges.
• Check with the Consulate you intend to use in case they have any special requirements.

Getting a Russian Visa Step 3: Submit your application.

You can send your application by post or take it to the embassy in person. You can find contact details for Russian Consulates and Embassies worldwide on our site.