Russia Practical information

Visas

Visas

Everyone needs a visa to visit Russia, and it’s likely to be your biggest single headache. Your visa is an exit permit, too, so if you lose it (or overstay), leaving the country can be harder than getting in. Your visa process has three stages – invitation, application and registration.

To obtain a visa, you need an invitation. For a small fee (and increasingly for free) most hostels and hotels will issue an invitation (or ‘visa support’) to anyone staying with them. The invitation then allows you to apply for a visa at any Russian embassy. Costs can vary enormously, from €25 to €160 for same day service, so try to plan as far ahead as possible. If you’re not staying in a hotel or hostel, you will need to buy an invitation. This can be done through almost any travel agency. Some hostels will issue invites for the same cost of one night’s accommodation. Although a commercial website, Way to Russia (www.waytorussia.net) is a very reliable source of visa information.

On arrival you must fill out an immigration card. This is very important – you surrender the first half on entering the country and the second on leaving. If you lose your immigration card, expect a hefty fine on leaving the country.

Finally, once arriving in Russia, you are – officially at least – obliged to register your visa within three working days. This can nearly always be done by your hotel or hostel, but if you’re not staying in one, you will need to pay a travel agency (usually €24) to register it for you. Many people have had no problems leaving the country without registration, but others have been detained and levied very big fines. In the light of the recent tightening of security, it’s safest to play by the rules.

Anyone visiting Kaliningrad from Russia proper will require a double-entry visa unless they fly into the exclave. Leaving Russia proper by boat, bus or train entails getting an exit stamp, thus you won’t be able to enter Kaliningrad without a double- or multi-entry visa.