Russian Visa Demystified – Part I – Introduction to Russian Visa
So, you have decided to outsource or offshore your business, services or department, you have chosen the local Russian partner and you are ready to start outsourcing. You probably need to meet your partner face to face and have to visit mother Russia. Unless you are one of those few lucky citizens of these former USSR countries: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Ukraine, or Uzbekistan, you must obtain a visa to travel to Russia.
If you are a newbie to Russian travel or it is your 10th trip to Russia, I believe our new Russian Visa Demystified corner will teach you the process of obtaining Russian visas from start to finish. I really believe that each of you will learn something new about Russian visas through articles. They will become useful readings to save money.
Russian visa types
If you want to be precise, there are 11 different types of Russian visas:
* Diplomatic visa,
* Guest / private visit visa,
* Tourist visa,
* Work visa,
* Commercial / business visit visa,
* Student / education visa,
* Government business visa,
* Humanitarian visa,
* Transit visa (valid up to 72 hours),
* Temporary stay visa,
* Refugee visa.
Each type of visa corresponds to the stated purpose of your visit. During my professional experience, I have noticed that around 90% of all issued Russian visas fall into TWO main visa categories:
Tourist visa:
It is your first choice for short, one-time visits of up to 30 days to Russia, even if you are going for reasons other than tourism (eg business meetings, conferences, family visits, etc.). Unfortunately, you will need a business visa, if you intend to stay longer than 30 days.
According to the Russian bureaucracy, the TOURIST visa can be obtained with an official invitation / sponsorship / letter of support (more on this in the next article) from a hotel or a travel agency, registered with the Department of Consular Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia (abbreviated as MFA).
The same law says that it is illegal for a qualified travel agency or hotel to give you an invitation if they are not staying in a hotel. Fortunately, this word of the law is broken more often than it is followed because virtually all travel agencies can obtain a visa sponsorship document and then register your Russian visa without you having to book a single night in a hotel. The same goes for hotels, they will register your visa not only for the nights you stay with them, but for the entire trip. Don’t forget to ask! (more information about registration in future articles)
Business Visa
It gives you much more flexibility: multiple entries to and outside of Russia, valid for up to a full year. The business visa is ideal for frequent business people or those who stay in Russia for a long time. Officially, business visas are intended for business travelers traveling for business transactions (eg negotiations, contracts, exhibitions, etc.). But again, this is simply an exception rather than a rule: you don’t need to travel on official company business, it could be a personal trip. Nor is it necessary to plan a hotel reservation or your itinerary. Please note that the business visa does not imply a work permit. You must apply for a work visa if you are about to receive money for your services.
As other types of visas are not as common, I will not cover them.
How and where to get a visa for Russia?
Normally, you must apply for a visa at a Russian consulate in the country where you reside. If you are currently traveling to a foreign country, you can apply at the Russian consulate in that country in most cases. You need to present several documents at a Russian consulate, depending on the type of visa and the processing time you want:
1. A valid passport: Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months after the indicated date of departure from Russia. For example, if you plan to leave Russia on February 1, your passport must be valid until at least August 1. Also, you need to make sure you have at least 2 blank visa pages in your passport. If any of these are true, you need to renew / add pages to your passport; contact your country’s embassy / consulate.
2. A passport-size photo: I recommend going to a passport photographer as they are familiar with the requirements of passport-style photographs.
3. Visa Application / Questionnaire. The questionnaire must be signed by you. A question-by-question guide will be published in future articles.
4. Russia visa invitation / sponsorship letter: You must obtain the type of invitation letter that corresponds to the type of visa required. For example, tourist invitation letter for tourist visa, business invitation letter for business visa, private invitation letter for private visit visa, etc. In most cases, a photocopy of the visa holder will suffice, but you need an original invitation letter if:
* apply for MULTIPLE entry visas,
* apply in one of these countries: Australia, Germany, Japan, Switzerland and Sweden,
* You are a citizen of certain countries with which the Russian government has strained diplomatic relations (for example, China, India, Nigeria, to name a few).
5. Visa processing fee: All Russian consulates charge a certain visa processing fee. It varies depending on the type of visa and the speed of processing. In general, the longer the visa lasts and the faster you need it, the more you will pay. The Russian consulate in each country has different fees. For example, visa processing fees in the US range from the lowest $ 100 to $ 450.
6. Self-addressed / Prepaid Envelope: If applying for a Russian visa by mail, you must include the prepaid envelope. We recommend using a certified or confirmed delivery as the package has your passport and visa. If you decide to apply in person, you will collect the visa yourself, without the need for a return envelope. In some countries, you can only apply in person.
7. Additional documents: For certain types of Russian visas for citizens of some countries, Russian consulates will request additional documents:
* Mandatory travel / medical insurance is required for citizens of Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Israel, Luxembourg, Norway, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.
* An AIDS Certificate for Human Immune Deficiency (HIV) is required for multiple entry visas and for more than 3 months. You can find a local HIV testing center in the US here.
* Proof of permanent residence (photocopy of green / residence card, if applied for from the USA) is required for citizens of Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, Bosnia, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Germany, India, Iran , Jordan, Lebanon, Nigeria. , North Korea, Pakistan, Palestine, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam. Otherwise, citizens of these countries must apply for the Russian visa in their home countries.
* Proof of sufficient funds for your stay in Russia.
* Any other document that the Russian consulate deems necessary.
As you can see, it is possible to process your own Russian visa. However, in practice, most travelers choose to hire a professional visa travel agency to do the groundwork. For an additional $ 30- $ 70, the agencies will prepare, review, and submit your documentation to a consulate on your behalf and submit your passport along with the Russian visa. Some companies even take care of registering the visa when it arrives in Russia (more information on registration in the next articles). Since each Russian consulate has different tastes and temperaments when it comes to interpreting visa processing requirements, it is usually worth having someone who knows how to deal with bureaucrats.
The only problem with hiring someone to handle your visa is figuring out who to hire. In the midst of hundreds of honest agencies, there are many scammers who seem to disappear as soon as you provide them with your personal information. However, that shouldn’t stop you from looking for a professional visa agency, just use a good dose of precautions.
What are the Russian visa processing times and fees?
Visa processing times:
By now, you have noticed that you cannot apply for a visa unless you have the visa invitation ready. Therefore, you should spend enough time to get a visa support letter. It can range from 1 hour for tourist invitations, 18 business days for commercial support and 60 days for private invitations. I’ll write more about invitation letter processing times and fees in my next article.
Once you have an invitation letter, you can mail it along with other documents to the Russian consulate or a certified visa agency. According to Russian law, the visa must be issued in more than 20 business days (excludes weekends and national holidays). Fortunately, most consulates issue visas from 1 to 14 days (it depends on how much you pay). It is good to remember that if you apply for a visa by mail, you must allocate at least TWO more business days:
(1) Shipping overnight from your home to the consulate and
(2) Send you the documentation from the consulate.
Refrain from sending your documentation to the consulate or visa agency more than 45 days before the scheduled departure date for BUSINESS TYPE VISAS and 90 days or more for all other TYPES. Consulates do not process such advanced requests; they will return the package to you and ask you to send it back at a later date.
Russian Visa Processing Times and Fees vary from country to country. The processing fees are the highest in the US Because the US government has the highest fees for Russian citizens applying for US visas. As a result, the Russian government imposes the Same fees for US citizens applying for Russian visas. Such diplomatic policies when one country imposes the same travel barriers, fees, and procedures for the citizens of two countries are known as reciprocity laws.
Unfortunately, Russia follows these policies religiously. Therefore, you may have to pay more or less for your Russian visa depending on your citizenship and the location where you apply for your Russian visa. For example, if you are an Australian citizen applying for a Russian tourist visa in the UK, you will pay the standard consulate fee of £ 30 (for 7 day processing) and an additional £ 18 surcharge due to reciprocity laws between the governments of Russia and Australia.
The Russian government directs all its consulates and embassies to issue Russian visas in no more than 20 business days. Therefore, each consulate has a margin of maneuver on how quickly visas are issued, as long as they do not violate the 20-day limit. Again, it varies from country to country.
If you need more information on Russian visa processing fees and time requirements, please call us at 888-470-8472.