Useful Information

All foreign nationals visiting Russia require a visa, which must be obtained in advance from a Russian Embassy or a Consulate. If you do it yourself, it entails a considerable effort, and costs more the quicker the process proceeds. To avoid queuing and experiencing Russian bureaucracy at its worst, it's probably worth spending some extra money to have the entire business done through a visa-service agency. But whatever way you choose, the procedure for receiving a Russian visa consists of three steps:

1. Obtaining the Visa Invitation to Russia
2. Getting the visa issued by the Russian Consulate
3. Registering your visa upon arrival in Russia.

First of all one should decide what type of visa is the most suitable for the trip. Depending on the purpose and duration of the visit, visas are divided into certain visa types.

Whatever type of visa you need, all of them are issued by Russian Embassies (Consulates) worldwide upon presenting a set of documents including a proper invitation, issued by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Our travel agency can assist you in getting such an invitation for receiving the tourist visa and business visa. The only thing you should do is to fill in the invitation application form for the tourist visa - free of charge for STN guests or invitation application form for the business visa and to send it to us.

After receiving the invitation, one should contact the Russian Embassy (Consulate) to get the relevant information about the required package of documents, payment of consular fees, filling in the consular questionnaire and other terms of getting the visa. After obtaining the visa - a document, permitting stay in Russia for a specific period of time, which lists entry/exit dates, your vital invitation, passport details, and has two photos stapled to it, please, make sure everything is perfectly correct.

Upon arrival to Russia, foreign visitors are to register their visas in 3 working days. It may be done either by themselves or by means of the Russian company / agency that provided the invitation. Please, note that the migration card with the registration stamp is to be kept until departure.

In cases of emergency or with other problems that may arise (extending your visa, obtaining a new visa in case your visa is lost or stolen, etc) one may get assistance and consultation in Foreign Consulates located in Saint-Petersburg