Most foreign citizens (including UK) travelling to Russia require a visa issued by the Russian consular department to obtain entry. Russian visa lists your name, passport details, purpose of visit and entry/exit dates. The main types of the visa are tourist (maximum stay of up to 30 days) and business.
RUSSIAN TOURIST VISA
Tourist visa type is a document which allows foreigners to travel to Russia as tourists and is issued for a maximum of 30 days. A tourist visa is best when you know exactly where and how long you will be staying without diverting from your planned itinerary. To obtain a Russian, you must have confirmed accommodation for every night of your stay in the country (including if you travel by overnight train).
RUSSIAN BUSINESS VISA
Business visa is issued for travellers, who visit Russia on official or private business purposes. Business visas are best for visitors who do not know their exact itineraries, want to stay in Russia longer than for 30 days or need to enter Russia on frequent occasions. Maximum validity is 12 months.
RUSSIAN VISA APPLICATION
The Russian Consulate accepts visa applications 3 months prior to your trip start date. It normally takes two weeks to process your visa application (standard processing). All passports must have at least two blank pages for the Russian visa to be inserted and be valid for at least six months after the date of your return. If you do not already hold a passport or need to renew an existing one, you must allow at least six weeks to obtain one – at busy periods it can take longer than this, so please contact your local passport office for more information.
Please note if you are based in the UK your Russian visa form must be now completed online using the facility provided by the Russian Visa Application Centre. Once you have completed the form you will be emailed a unique “Web reference number” assigned by the system. You can modify your form at a later stage by providing your passport number, last name and the application reference number.
