E-visa Russia
Most foreign travelers planning to visit the Russian Federation need to apply for a Russian visa. The type of visa required will depend on the purpose of the visit, duration of stay, and the traveler’s nationality.
Visitors on short-term trips to Russia are now able to apply for a Russian eVisa – an electronic travel authorization obtained via a much faster and easier process than a regular Tourist Visa.
From the 1st of October, 2019, travelers from 53 countries may request a Russian eVisa when entering the country by plane, car, boat, or on foot via official checkpoints around the Leningrad region and St. Petersburg.
Eligible travelers can submit their Russia eVisa application in a few minutes by filling an online form and providing passport details and other necessary travel documents. Although applications can be submitted from anywhere in the world, Russian eVisas are only valid when visiting Kaliningrad, Saint Petersburg or the Far East Regions. In that case, there is no need to make an appointment at a Russian Federation consulate or embassy.
Russia eVisa – Who Needs it?
The majority of foreigners require an official visa to travel to Russia, the kind of which will vary according to the purpose of travel as well as the intended duration of the stay. However, some nationalities are able to apply for a Russian eVisa when planning to visit the country for short-term trips.
Through a Russian eVisa application, visitors may be granted authorization to travel to Saint Petersburg and Leningrad region, Kaliningrad region, and the Far East regions.
The eVisa Russia has been implemented for:
- Tourism
- Business trips
- Humanitarian missions
- Sport events
- Cultural relations
- Scientific research
Each region-specific Russian online visa has its eligibility regulations, therefore not every country listed below is entitled to apply for all 3 Russian eVisas. Some foreign travelers are able to submit eVisa online applications for Kalinigrad Oblast, Far East, as well as Saint Petersburg / Leningrad Region, whereas other nations are only eligible to 1 or 2 of them.
To find out which eVisa Russia you can apply for, check the information on your country’s eligibility on the online application page.
Below is the list of nationalities eligible to submit an application for a Russian eVisa:
As a result of unstable political relations, countries like Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom are not currently excluded from the list of Russian eVisa countries.
Russian eVisas are only valid when entering or exiting the country via official ports of entry situated around the Leningrad region and Saint Petersburg territory.
Below is a list of official checkpoints for entry/exit in Russia:
By Plane
- Pulkovo International Airport (Saint Petersburg)
By Car/Bus
- Ivangorod
- Torfyanovka
- Brusnitchnoe
- Svetogorsk
By foot
- Ivangorod
By Boat/Ship
- Vysotsk
- Saint Petersburg Marine Station Port
- Saint Petersburg Passenger Port
IMPORTANT NOTE:
The Russian eVisa currently does not apply when entering or exiting the country by train.
eVisa Russia – How to Apply
Russian eVisa online applications are simple and quick to complete. Travelers can submit an eVisa application from anywhere in the world with a stable internet connection, making it much easier to organize a trip to Russia. Instead of scheduling appointments at an embassy and waiting for months for a visa, travelers need only to fill up an online form which is processed in an average of 4 days.
The Russian eVisa application should take only a few minutes to complete. Applicants will be able to submit necessary eVisa documentation online, including:
- An application form completed online
- A passport issued by one of the eligible eVisa nations and valid for more than 6 months from the application date.
- Russia eVisa fee payment by Credit or Debit card
Not all documents have to be submitted at once. The Russia electronic visa system allows applicants to fill in the online form without having to upload the required documentation in the same session. This allows eligible travelers to conveniently organize documents such as passport-size photographs and travel insurance after having completed the eVisa application form.
Traditional Russian Tourist Visas often have stricter requirements. Visas for tourism request travelers to submit documentation to support that their purpose of visiting Russia is leisure only. This involves finalizing all travel-related plans, including planning a travel itinerary, booking accommodation, and purchasing tickets for tours and events prior to submitting the application.
Information about traveling in Russia
Extending across an area of 17 million km², Russia is the nation with the largest territory in the world. Russian winter often registers extreme temperatures: in Moscow, lows can reach –20 °C, while in Siberia temperatures can get down to –45 °C. Therefore, foreign travelers usually plan their visit to Russia between the end of May and the start of October, when the Russian climate is warmer.
The current population of Russia is 144.5 million and more than 100 different dialects and languages are spoken, as well as the official Russian language. The official currency across the entire Russian Federation is the Russian Ruble.
Russia’s international emergency can be reached 24/7 by dialing 112