Visa policy of Russia

The visa policy of Russia deals with the requirements of foreign nationals to enter Russia.

Russia has agreements with many countries whose citizens are exempt from visas, although an Electronic Travel Authorization with a QR code from the Gosuslugi mobile app is required in these cases. If a visa is required, depending on country of origin, some people may obtain an electronic visa (e-Visa); while others must apply for a visa at a diplomatic mission of Russia or visa center. A holder of a visa to enter Belarus may also enter Russia with such visa; however, this policy does not apply to Belarussian e-visas.

Despite international sanctions during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia continues to issue visas to citizens of all countries. Depending on country of origin, at any border crossing, foreigners may be questioned, have their biometrics taken, including fingerprints and photos, and are subject to search of baggage and mobile phone content, including contact lists, correspondence, and posts on social media. Officers focus on contact with Ukrainians, and any opinions on politics and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.^[1]

Types of visas available for issuance include private, business, tourist, educational, working, transit, humanitarian, service, and diplomatic. The length and terms of visas depend on the nationality of the recipient and other personal circumstances.

The Russian visa is a machine-readable document, that is stickered to a page in the holder's passport. All fields are indicated in both Russian and English, but are filled out only in Russian. The holder's name appears in both the Roman and Cyrillic alphabets.

To apply for a visa, a passport, a passport photo, a tourist invitation letter (can be purchased online), and a completed application form printed on A4 paper are required.^[2]

Russia has 380 border checkpoints.^[3] Transporting any amount of currency of countries in the European Union (EU), including Euros, directly to Russia from EU countries such as Estonia and Latvia is prohibited by the EU.

Crimea is under de facto Russian control and the visa policy of Russia applies for travel to Crimea. Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia are internationally recognized as part of Ukraine, and, although they are at least partially or sometimes controlled by Russia, the visa policy of Ukraine applies to travel to these regions.