In order to prevent delay(s) in processing your Russian visa, please include your application password. While not mandatory, having this information will allow us to electronically fix common errors and mistakes often made while completing the visa application. This will prevent you from needing to redo your application from start to finish.
You must send your physical passport—copies cannot be used for visa issuance.
Please note: If you are applying for a multiple entry visa your passport must have two (2) blank visas pages side by side.
Your signed passport must be valid and contain sufficient blank visa pages—visas are stamps affixed to the blank "visa" pages of your passport. Amendment pages (clearly marked as such) in the back of your passport are not acceptable for visa issuance.
Your passport's expiration date must be greater than six months from the date you plan to depart the country you intend to visit. If your passport does not meet this requirement, you must renew your passport or obtain a new one prior to applying for your visa.
If you are applying for a single or double entry Homestay Visa you are required to submit a Visa entitlement certificate (IZVESHENIYE) from the local OVIR (Office of Visas and Registration) in Russia. (The Izvesheniye is also known as "visa support" or a "letter of invitation".) Your host must obtain this certificate for you and send the original certificate to you. Your host will need to know:
1. Your Full Name
2. Address
3. Nationality
4. Passport Number and Date of Birth
5. Your Date of Arrival/Departure in Russia
Note: The cost of the OVIR application is about USD35. Allow 4-6 weeks for the OVIR's approval. You cannot apply for the visa until you have the original Izvesheniye. Your visa will be issued according to the dates on the Izvesheniye.
Izvesheniye Alternative: If you do not have time to wait for the Izvesheniye we recommend you apply for a Russian Tourist Visa instead. Please click on the Tourist Visa tab above to apply.
Former citizens of Russia/Adopted from Russia: submit a Certificate of Renunciation of Citizenship obtained from the Russian Embassy. Adoption papers are not needed. Please contact the Embassy directly to start your Renunciation process.
For former citizens of the USSR:
When applying for a visa it is necessary to provide documentation that you no longer possess Russian citizenship, such as:
-
Copy of USSR passport with a stamp stating you left for “permanent residence abroad”, dated prior to February 6, 1992;
-
Or a copy of a “Visa to Israel” issued prior to February 6, 1992;
-
Or a copy of a Certificate of Naturalization issued prior to 1996;
-
Or a document confirming the renunciation of your Russian citizenship;
-
Or a copy of the main pages of a passport of a former USSR state, issued after February 1992;
In accordance with Russian law, visas can not be issued to Russian citizens with expired passports.
Article 12 of Russian Law “On citizenship of the Russian Federation”, children born to two parents who are Russian citizens, automatically gain Russian citizenship, regardless of the place of birth. In this case visas are not issued, and they must apply for Russian citizenship, or have their information written into the passport of one of their parents, or obtain a Russian passport.
Please note: The Embassy may require that the applicant make a personal appearance for an interview at the Embassy in Washington, D.C. Personal interviews are not common however they are requested on a case by case basis and as such there is no way to determine if an interview will be required until your visa application has been submitted to the Embassy.
