Tourist visa to Russia

To get a tourist visa please submit the following paperwork to the Consulate General:

• A completed visa application form, one per person

• A valid passport which should have at least one clear page for the visa. Your passport must be valid for no less than one month after the date of your departure from Russia.
• One copy of the passport pages that contain personal data of the bearer.
• One passport size photo of the applicant, which should be stapled to the marked space on the application form.
• A standard tourist reservation confirmation and a voucher from a hosting authorized Russian travel agency or a hotel, registered with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The confirmation must contain the agency’s reference number and registration number.
• A cover letter from your Travel Agency in the United States, containing the following information:

• applicant’s name or an alphabetical list of the group;
• dates and points of arrival and departure in and from Russia and means of transportation;
• itinerary in Russia;
• index and reference number of the receiving organization.

• A money order or cashier’s check for visa processing payable to the Consulate General of Russia. Please, note that we do not accept cash, company or personal checks. The visa processing fees are the following:

ATTENTION! Effective from January 1st, 2008 U.S. State Department is raising the fee for the issuance of an American visa from $100.00 to $131.00. On the basis of reciprocity the fee for the issuance of a Russian visa (standard processing time) is also raised up to $131.00. The fees for expedited visa processing will however remain unchanged.

For no less than six business days processing:

• $131 – for a single, double or multiple-entry visa.

For 3 to 5 business days processing:

• $150 – for a single-entry visa;
• $200 – for a double-entry visa;

For the next business day processing:

• $200 – for a single-entry visa;
• $250 – for a double-entry visa;

For the same business day processing:

• $300 – for a single-entry visa;
• $350 – for a double-entry visa;

A tourist visa can be issued for no longer than one month.

When entering Russia with a tourist visa, you will be required to present at the border check-point your tourist reservation confirmation, voucher and a return ticket with a fixed date of departure from Russia, as well as to prove that you have sufficient funds for your travel. However, this does not apply to cruises and tourist groups.

If you are going on a cruise and wish to go sight-seeing, you should get a visa as explained above. Your cruise sponsors must provide you with the name and reference number of the Russian organization which will be responsible for this cruise.

If you apply by mail, you should enclose a self-addressed stamped return envelope or prepaid waybill, bearing your account number and showing yourself as both shipper and recipient regardless of delivery address. We do not accept waybills marked “bill sender”, “bill third party”, “bill credit card” or C.O.D.

If you fail to follow the above mentioned requirements, your visa application will not be processed. If the papers are not acceptable for any reason or some documents are missing, we will return them by regular mail. When forwarding your documents to us, please, specify “Attention: Visa Desk”. We do not accept documents for international delivery.

Visa processing fee is nonrefundable. Please, note that the drop off day is not counted as a business day. Visa processing starts only after we have collected all the necessary documents. If you apply by mail, please, allow one more day for processing. Same day or next day processing is only available if the volume of work technically permits.

Any visa applicant may be interviewed by a consular officer if deemed necessary.

When you receive your visa please check it for any mistakes (passport number, date of birth, validity) and, if necessary, return it to the Consulate General for corrections. The Consulate General will not be responsible for any mistakes in the visas, which were not brought to our attention prior to your departure from the United States.

Please, note that the visas cannot be adjusted or extended. If your travel plans change after the visa issuance you have to reapply for a new visa.

Processing time, requirements and fees are subject to change without notice.

For additional information contact the Visa Desk.