Visa

Disclaimer: This page is supposed to facilitate the process of the application for a visa to Russia. However, some recommendations might be not up to date, so please double-check the updated information on the website of the consulate/embassy.

If you need a one/two-entry visa to Russia for a period of at most 30 days, then by far the easiest visa to get is a tourist visa.

In case you plan to come to MIPT for two times during a period of 90 days (but not within 30 days), then the best thing is to apply for a humanitarian visa.

Please, refer to one of the two sections of this document that corresponds to your situation. (They are similar, but differ in some points.) Making a humanitarian visa is more complicated and longer in most cases, so, unless you need two entries to Russia within [31, 90] days, we recommend that you make a tourist visa.

Tourist visa

Before you read what comes next, there are many companies that help you in getting tourist visas for a fee. If you feel lost then you may simply contact one of them and they’ll do most of the paperwork for you (this would even potentially spare you from going to the consulate).

Also note that, in some EU countries, you may simply mail your documents to the embassy, which could save you some time.

List of documents (may vary from consulate to consulate, so double-check online)

  1. A confirmation for foreign tourists established by a Russian tour operator who is listed in the Federal Register of Tour Operators (a.k.a. vouchers)
  2. A passport with no less than 2 empty pages for visas, valid for 6 months from the visa expiry date, plus a photocopy of the biopage.
  3. A visa application form filled in on the website visa.kdmid.ru, printed and signed personally by an applicant;
    When choosing a location where you will be applying for your visa, it is necessary to indicate the Visa Office, where you are planning to submit your documents.
  4. One colour photograph 3.5 × 4.5 cm.
  5. A medical insurance policy valid in the territory of the Russian Federation and during the validity of a visa.
  6. Electronic confirmation or electronic round-trip tickets to Russia and back (may be required).
  7. Processing fee receipt, paid on the spot.

The key points are

  1. Applying early! Please start actively preparing your application at least 1.5 months in advance.
  2. Voucher: you can “buy” it online from a variety of companies. It may look strange and fishy, but this is somehow the easiest and “canonical” way for tourists to come to Russia and never poses a problem.

    Basically, you should go online, find a company that sells “invitations for tourist visas to Russia”, fill in the info and pay. The company that Andrey Kupavskii used many times for his wife is http://en.5cd.ru/. They would typically charge something between 10 and 20 dollars for that. Some of the information that they would ask are (a) the dates, (b) the consulate that you would apply at and (c) your itinerary in Russia. Just put Moscow in (c). They may also ask you the name of the hotel that you’ll stay at. You can put any hotel, e.g. “Hotel Izmailovo, address: Izmailovskoe sh. 71”. This hotel doesn’t have to be the actual place that you’re going to stay at, and you don’t even have to book a room there. (In case we told you so, we are going to arrange your accommodation for you.)

  3. Travel insurance. You may have one with your insurance or credit card company. Alternatively, you may order it online with many companies (typically, the ones that you buy your voucher with provide you with this service as well). Dates of validity: take the dates of your travel and add 10 extra days at the end. It should be a single or multi-entry insurance depending on your travel plans. In case you’re lost, please contact Irina Kupavskaia (kupavskaia.io@mipt.ru), and
    1. Tell the dates of your travel
    2. Send a scan of the main page of your passport (in case you haven’t sent it yet)
    and we’ll order one for you. Once you get it, print it out and bring to the embassy.
  4. Here is how the first page of your online form should look like. In the date section, put the dates for which your invitation is issued.
  5. On the page “Visit details”, put in the details of your invitation letter (voucher) and your insurance. Put “Moscow” as your itinerary.
  6. Once you get the visa, please let us know by writing to the person you sent documents to.

Humanitarian visa

Before you read what comes next, there are many companies that help you in getting humanitarian visas for a fee. If you feel lost then you may simply contact one of them and they’ll do most of the paperwork for you (this would even potentially spare you from going to the consulate).

Also note that, in some EU countries, you may simply mail your documents to the embassy, which could save you some time.

List of documents (may vary from consulate to consulate, so double-check online)

  1. A letter of invitation from MIPT
  2. A passport with no less than 2 empty pages for visas, valid for 6 months from the visa validity expiry date, plus a photocopy of the biopage.
  3. A visa application form filled in on the website visa.kdmid.ru, printed and signed personally by an applicant.
    When choosing a location where you will be applying for your visa, it is necessary to indicate the Visa Office, where you are planning to submit your documents
  4. One colour photograph 3.5 × 4.5 cm.
  5. A medical insurance policy valid on the territory of the Russian Federation and during the validity of the visa.
  6. Processing fee receipt, paid on the spot.

The key points are

  1. Applying early! Please start actively preparing your application at least 2 months in advance.
  2. Invitation: E-mail Irina Kupavskaia (kupavskaia.io@mipt.ru) and provide the following:
    1. A scan of the main page of your passport
    2. Scans of your previous Russian visas
    3. Download, fill out this .docx form and attach it to your letter / or if it is more convenient for you use our interactive Google Docs form.

    Once the letter of invitation is ready (usually, it takes about a week to prepare, e.g., if you are an EU citizen, but for some countries it can take up to 3 weeks), we will send you the original of the invitation, which you would need to bring with you to the embassy.

  3. Travel insurance. You may have one with your insurance or credit card company. Alternatively, you may order it online with many companies (typically, the ones that you buy your voucher with provide you with this service as well). Dates of validity: take the dates of your invitation and add 10 extra days at the end. It should be a multi-entry insurance. In case you’re lost, please contact Irina Kupavskaia (kupavskaia.io@mipt.ru), and
    1. Tell her the dates of your travel
    2. Send her a scan of the main page of your passport (in case you haven’t sent it yet)
    and we’ll order one for you. Once you get it, print it out and bring to the embassy.
  4. Here is how the first page of your online form should look like. In the date section, put the dates for which your letter of invitation is issued.
  5. On the page “Visit details”, put in the details of your invitation letter and your insurance. Put “Dolgoprudny” as your itinerary.
  6. Once you get the visa, please let us know by writing to the person you sent documents to.