Overseas Business Travel is one of the UK's leading companies for providing business, tourist and transit visas for visitors to Russia (private visas are also available). Having an excellent working relationship with both the Russian Consulate in London and the Ministry of Internal and Foreign Affairs in Russia, we are able to provide you with all the necessary support documents you require. We guarantee that you will receive an effortless service when processing your visa at the Russian Consulate.

Nationals of the following countries can only apply for their Russian visa in the United Kingdom if they can provide a letter from their employer in the UK. Otherwise, they are requested to apply in their country of origin.

Nationals of the following countries can only apply for their Russian visa in the United Kingdom if they can provide proof of permanent residence in the UK (i.e. Home Office stamp or visa in their passport). Otherwise, they are requested to apply in their country of origin.

To obtain your Russian visa you will need to submit the following documents:

	Russian Visa Application Form Non-US citizens should complete the Russian Visa Application Form online, print it out, sign it, glue a passport-type photo in the space provided (NO staples please). Please follow the instructions on how to print the Russian visa application form correctly. In accordance with the procedures of the Russian Consulate, the visa application form should only be printed on A4 paper with right and bottom margins of 5mm. A failure to meet these requirements will invalidate your visa application form. US citizens should complete an extended Russian Visa Application Form (the form is available for download only). Please send the completed visa application form together with other relevant documents mentioned below to Overseas Business Travel, 7 Seymour Place, London, W1H 5AG.
	Passport You will have to lodge your actual passport, which will remain at the Russian Consulate until the visa is issued. It should have a validity remaining of at least 6 months after your exit date from the country. A full empty page is necessary in order for the Consulate to place the visa.
	1 Passport-Type Photograph Please provide 1 recent photograph taken within last 6 months. The photograph should be in colour and meet the following requirements: Taken against a light background (white or off-white) so that features are distinguishable and contrast against the background. High quality and with the face in focus. Printed on normal photographic paper (camera print). 30mm x 40mm in size. If photograph presented does not meet the requirements above, your Russian visa application will be considered incomplete.
	Russian Visa Support Document (invitation) There are several types of invitation, and the type you need will depend upon the purpose of your visit. The types of visa are listed below. Invitations differ for each type. If you have any difficulty in obtaining an invitation please contact us, we can help.
	Other Documents Holders of passports other than UK ones are required to provide additional documents. Normally, the additional documents include copies of the last three months bank statements, a letter from the employer confirming the visit to Russia, a copy of the medical or travel insurance certificate valid in Russia, a copy of the return ticket to the country of residence. French passport holders should include copies of their last three months bank statements, a copy of their travel insurance certificate valid in Russia and a copy of their travel ticket or itinerary. German passport holders can only apply for a Russia visa in the UK if they have their UK residency printed in their passport of if they have an official letter from the German consulate in London stating they are resident in the UK. Schengen countries, Estonian and Israeli passport holders are required to enclose a copy of their travel insurance certificate valid in Russia to cover their entire trip. Lithuanian passport holders should submit copies of their last three months bank statements, a copy of their travel insurance certificate valid in Russia and a letter from their employer confirming their visit to Russia. Holders of certain other passports may be required to provide extra documents in addition to the abovementioned ones. We recommend checking the details with us before applying.

RUSSIAN BUSINESS VISA

An official invitation from the Ministry of Internal Affairs (used to be the Foreign Ministry but responsibility has been moved since the theatre hostage incident in Moscow) is required. Your Russian counterpart will obtain this through the Consular Department of the Ministry in Moscow or its representatives elsewhere. This process generally take 3-5 days. Business visas are available for periods of 1, 3, 6 or 12 months; single, double or multiple entries. If you have any difficulty in obtaining an invitation please contact us, we can help. A letter of introduction from your company is required in addition to the documentation detailed above.

RUSSIAN TOURIST VISA

You will need a 'Tourist Voucher' and a 'Hotel Booking Confirmation' from the Russian supplier of your tour or hotel booking. They will provide this document complete with the mandatory reference and confirmation numbers. Maximum validity for a tourist visa is one month and can be issued for a single or double entry.

If you have any difficulty in obtaining an invitation, please complete the Request Form for Russian Tourist Visa Support Document (Invitation) and send it to us. We shall process your request and forward you the invitation by email within one working day upon receipt of payment.

RUSSIAN TRANSIT VISA

If you are travelling through Russia from one country to another and intend to enter Russia for no more than 72 hours you will need a transit visa. A transit visa is not required if you are not leaving the transit area of the airport and are simply making an onward flight connection within 24 hours. An original or photocopy (depending on your nationality) of your air ticket showing confirmed flights into and out of Russia will have to support your visa application. A transit visa can be single or double entry.

RUSSIAN PRIVATE VISA

It will be necessary for you to obtain an Official Letter of Invitation (Izveshcheniye) if staying with friends or relatives. This invitation should be obtained by them from their local OVIR office; the process can take anything up to two months or more. They will need your personal & passport details.

LODGING YOUR RUSSIAN VISA APPLICATION AT THE RUSSIAN CONSULATE

Visa requests may only be passed to the Consulate between 0900-1200 hours Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Same day applications will be lodged that day provided the application is received and all documents are correct before this time. Standard applications will be taken to the Consulate the day following delivery to our office. The Russian Consulate is closed on Wednesday; however, we have access on this day and are able to lodge same day applications.

POSTAL RUSSIAN VISA APPLICATIONS

If you are posting your visa application to us, please check you have enclosed all the necessary documents listed above. We recommend you send your documents to us by Royal Mail Special Delivery service as this requires a signature and also guarantees a next working day delivery by 1300 hours.

WHEN WILL MY RUSSIAN VISA BE READY?

Generally, your passport & visa will be ready to be returned to you the day after it is received back from the Consulate. The Consulate allows collections between 1600-1700 hours, but sometimes, particularly in the summer and at other busy periods, it may be after this time and it is therefore often too late to post your documents to you that day.

Normally, your documents will be posted to you by Royal Mail Special Delivery (subject to a charge of £5). A courier delivery is available on request (subject to an additional charge). If you are collecting in person, you will be able to have your documents the same day we receive them from the Russian Consulate provided our messenger is back before 1800.

RUSSIAN VISA REGISTRATION

You must register your visa within three working days of arrival in Russia. If you are staying in a hotel, they will normally do this on your behalf.

However, if the visit is only 2 to 3 days, it is not necessary to register the visa. The individual should ask his/her sponsor (the company indicated on the visa) to issue a supporting letter. This letter, passport and visa should be submitted to the Russian authorities (main OVIR office).

In the case of a private invitation, the person who issued the invitation should submit the documents to the Visa Registration Office (OVIR).

The visa can be registered in person at the central OVIR office (42, Pokrovka Street, Tel: (+7 495) 207 30 32). The police may fine an individual if the visa is not registered.

Registration application form may vary from city to city and can be obtained from local migration authorities. For your convenience, you can download a general Registration Application Form. Please note that the application form must be printed out as a double-sided document on a single sheet of paper.

CHARGES AND FEES

The cost of your Russian visa is made up of three parts:

1. RUSSIAN CONSULATE FEE:

^* Special fees are only applicable for nationals of the following countries:

2. RUSSIAN VISA SUPPORT DOCUMENT (INVITATION):

3. RUSSIAN VISA LODGING:

TERMS & CONDITIONS

The Russian Consulate may change the procedures and visa requirements at any time without prior notice.

In the event of loss or damage to any passport or documents received, the liability of Overseas Business Travel and its trading divisions will be limited to the actual value of the passport & documents up to a maximum of £75 per applicant. Overseas Business Travel and its divisions accept no liability for consequential loss.

The Consulate's visa processing fee is not refundable. Russian single entry visas are issued only for the dates mentioned on your invitation (which should match those on your application form). You do not have the flexibility to change your entry/exit dates outside of the dates specified on your invitation/visa.

For travel document holders - the Russian Consulate will consider your visa application, but may reject it.

For more information please see our full terms & conditions.

What to do next...

Russian Visa Application Form (US citizens ONLY) (113KB) Request Form for Russian Business Visa Support Document (Invitation) (508KB) Request Form for Russian Tourist Visa Support Document (Invitation) (482KB) Business Letter of Introduction (Sample) (51KB) General Application Form for Visa Registration in Russia (647KB) Record of Mail Order Credit/Debit Card Transaction (44KB) In order to view PDF files on your computer, you must have a PDF reader installed. We recommend using Adobe Acrobat Reader 7 or higher. If you do not already have such a reader, you can download a free reader at Adobe's website: