Visa

As we are authorized tour operator in Russia (registration number: РТО 020723),
we provide our tourists with free invitation letters necessary to get visa and additional permissions to visit some border zones of the Russian Federation.

According to Visa regime in Russia there are 39 countries whose citizens don’t need visa to visit Russia. If your country is not on the list, follow our guide.

E-visa to Russia

The nationals of the following countries are able to obtain a single e-visa:

1. Andorra
2. Austria
3. Bahrain
4. Belgium
5. Bulgaria
6. Cambodia
7. China (including Taiwan)
8. Croatia
9. Cyprus
10. Czech Republic
11. Democratic People's Republic of Korea
12. Denmark
13. Estonia
14. Finland
15. France
16. Germany
17. Greece
18. Hungary
19. Iceland
20. India
21. Indonesia
22. Iran
23. Ireland
24. Italy
25. Japan
26. Kuwait
27. Latvia
28. Liechtenstein
29. Lithuania
30. Luxembourg
31. Malaysia
32. Malta
33. Mexico
34. Monaco
35. Myanmar
36. Netherlands
37. North Macedonia
38. Norway
39. Oman
40. Philippines
41. Poland
42. Portugal
43. Romania
44. San Marino
45. Saudi Arabia
46. Serbia
47. Singapore
48. Slovakia
49. Slovenia
50. Spain
51. Sweden
52. Switzerland
53. Turkey
54. Vatican City State
55. Vietnam

E-visa is very convenient: you can get it online and it's valid throughout Russia for up to 16 days. An e-visa is valid for entry into and exit from the Russian Federation only through 92 State border crossing points. E-visas are issued online for tourist, business, humanitarian and guest trips. An application for e-visa must be submitted no later than 4 calendar days before the expected date of entry into the Russian Federation. Applicants do not need an invitation, hotel booking or any other documents confirming the purpose of their journey to the Russian Federation.

The consular fee for an adult is about $52 only. For kids up to 6 years old - around $2. For more information, you can visit the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry website.

We (Big Country Company) are ready to help you at any stage of applying for an e-visa: we can assist with filling an application form, etc.

Tourist visa

In case you are unable to obtain an e-visa, we can provide assistance with getting a standard tourist visa. We, as a registered tour operator (certified by the Federal Agency for Tourism in Russia), can issue travel invitations for foreigners to get a visa.

Preparation

We advise you to start preparing everything 2 months in advance. You should contact Russian Consular office or Visa centre in your country and specify the list of required documents. Visa centre is an organization verified by Russian consular office and eligible for submitting documents for visas (VFS Global in most EU countries, ILS center in the USA, VHS in Germany, etc.)

You can apply for visa no earlier than 90 days to the planned entry date. Usually the visa process lasts for 10 days, also there is 3-days express visa service for additional cost.

The common list of documents for visa is:

A valid passport
Two filled-out visa application forms (printed and signed)
Two colour photos (3.5 x 4.5 cm size, white background)
A payment receipt for the consular fee
An invitation letter issued by a tour operator company (which confirms reception of a foreign tourist)
Additional documents for application (you might need to prove your financial capability to stay in Russia during all the trip or make travel insurance)

A tip

You should fill in the visa application form according to the invitation letter. The purpose of your trip, the dates, the place of staying should be the same in both documents.

Submitting the documents

Collect all the documents and pay the consular fee which is 35 euros for a regular visa and 70 euros for express visa. As for an invitation letter, we will send it to you when you book a trip (it is usually enough to have a scan of the letter, but, if needed, you will get a paper one).

Take everything to the Consular Office yourself or send the package by post (whether your Consular office receives it by post). If you apply through Visa centre, make sure it has a relevant accreditation.

Receiving the visa

Keep the payment receipt until you get the visa. When receiving it, check if your personal details are filled correctly (passport, name, date of birth, dates of the trip, etc).

Your chances to receive visa are quite high unless you have some problems with documents or any “bad” past experience. However, if your visa is denied and you’ve already paid for the tour, we will refund the payment according to the signed contract.

Additional permissions

Some of our trips include routes to the border zones of Russia (the Kamchatka region, the Kuril islands, the Altai Republic, the Kola peninsula, some places in the Northern Caucasus, etc.). We issue such permissions for our guests for free when needed. Please, mind that in some cases permits must be made 3 months before the trip.