Do I need to apply for a Russian visa before my trip?

Most foreign travellers have to have a Russian visa to be able to enter the country - please check with the Russian consulate in your home country whether you must have a visa. Nationals of a few former USSR republics are not required a visa to enter Russia. Passport holders from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine do not need a Russian visa.
If you do not belong to any of the above mentioned nationalities, you still might be able to go to Russia without a visa.

Cruise passengers who are going to stay in Russian not longer than 3 days can do so without a visa. But this rule works only for those cruise passengers who booked their tours through agencies which have a license from the Russian government. An agency like that will supply you with a tour ticket (also called booking confirmation). It will let you through the customs without any other documents except your valid passport and landing card that you will be given onboard before entering Russia.


There are several types of Russian visas, they depend on the purpose of your visit. If you are going to Russia for sightseeing, you will need a Tourist visa, if your purpose is business meetings, you will have to apply for a Business visa, etc.
You will need an invitation (aka visa support) to apply for your Russian visa. The invite is a document issued by the inviting person and authorised by the state, or organisation which invites you to Russia. Each type of visa needs a different invite. The prices of invitations and visas vary.

The price of a visa depends on its type, the required processing time and your nationality. As a rule, the more flexible conditions the visa provides or the faster it’s processed, the more expensive it is.
To apply for any type of visa for Russia you have to fill out an electronic application form on line, print it out, sign and then it will be ready for submission together with your passport, supporting documents and visa fee.
Bear in mind that you must answer all required questions as incomplete application forms are not recognised by the Consulate. If your details do not fit in the form of the Russian visa application, you can either abbreviate or provide your information as an attachment typed on A4 paper. Electronic form is good because it stores your application in the internet for 30 days and you can change and amend any information within this period.