Visa registration

New rules introduced in February 2007 have brought changes to the registration procedure. Once you arrive in Russia, you have 3 working days to register your arrival with the authorities. This involves getting a stamp from the authorities and submitting a registration form. 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.

Staying in private accommodation.

If you are staying in a flat, you will need to download the new registration form (here) and give a copy to your landlord. He should then take the form to the local police station, where it will be stamped and a portion of the form returned to him. Your landlord needs to take your passport, his/her passport, and your migration card to the police station with the form.

Your landlord will then give you a coupon which you should keep for the duration of your trip.

You must give this coupon back to your landlord before you leave. He or she should then hand this in to the police station where your registration was originally performed within 24 hours of your departure. Failure to do this could result in a fine, and potential problems with entry into Russia in the future. The new system should make the process of registering easier for visitors.

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.