A single entry visa is valid for one visit to Russia within specified dates of arrival and departure, while a double entry visa is issued for two entries. Tourist visas are issued for a period of no longer than 3 months (90 days) for single or double entry and no longer than 6 months for multi-entry.
For foreign citizens, a visa is required to enter Russia unless traveling on certain commercial cruise ships. Australian citizens must obtain a visa before travelling to Russia, and applicants must be present when applying for the Russia Sticker visa.
Australian citizens need to secure a Russia Tourist Visa as a must-have for their journey. An important step in the application process is getting a Russian Letter of Invitation. Starting August 1, 2023, an e-visa service has been launched for foreign citizens willing to visit Russia. The official website to apply is https://www.visa.gov.au/.
A regular tourist visa is fine, but a paper or embassy visa is the only available for travelers visiting Russia. Foreigners, including Australians, are at ongoing risk of arbitrary detention or arrest. The Russia e-Visa is an electronic travel document that allows travelers to travel around Russia, valid for 30 days after arrival.
To apply for a Russian visa, Australian citizens must provide a completed visa application form and a national passport valid for at least 6 months after the intended date of departure from Russia. Starting in 2019, Russian consulates in Australia no longer accept visa applications directly, and all documents must be submitted through the authorized visa application system.
📹 Travel To RUSSIA For FREE? Guide to New E-VISA (Update!)
Please check my Guide Playlist for travelling to Russia (travelling, money, bank.
Does Australia give visas to Russians?
Individuals holding a Russian passport are required to obtain a visa prior to visiting Australia for business or tourism purposes. A visa, typically in the form of a stamp or sticker, issued by a local embassy, consulate, or visa center is required. The specific visa requirements for government-issued visas depend on the country of destination and the passport in question. Our services can assist you in identifying the appropriate visa for your needs before your trip.
Which country has visa-free to Russia?
The Russian Federation allows citizens of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and countries like Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Israel, Nicaragua, Peru, Venezuela, and South Africa to stay without a visa for up to 90 days in each 180-day period, provided they don’t engage in commercial or work-related activities during their stay. This applies to citizens of these countries.
Is it hard to get a visa to visit Russia?
The process for obtaining a Russian visa is relatively simple. Applicants are required to possess a valid passport with a minimum six-month validity period and provide a government-compliant application photograph. This can be obtained through the use of a digital photo service.
Can Australians travel to Russia without visa?
Australian citizens are required to secure a Russia Tourist Visa to visit Russia. This visa is a must-have for any adventure in Russia. The visa application process can be overwhelming, but our mission is to simplify it, allowing you to focus on your adventure. We aim to help you prepare for your trip without any stress, allowing you to enjoy unique experiences like exploring the Catherine Palace or experiencing the lively streets of Saint Petersburg.
Can Australians go to Russia without a visa?
Australians seeking to visit Russia must secure a Russia Tourist Visa, which includes a Russian Letter of Invitation, also known as a Russian tourist voucher or visa support letter. This document, issued by a registered hotel or tour operator in Russia, is your ticket to officially being invited to Russia for tourism purposes. The Russia Business Visa is designed for travelers heading to Russia for business activities, such as meetings or conferences, but cannot be used for work or job search. The letter may come from a Russian hotel or tour operator.
How long can Australians stay in Russia?
It is a requirement for foreign nationals entering the Russian Federation for the purpose of tourism to possess a valid visa. The period of validity of a visa may not exceed three months for single or double entry and six months for multi-entry, with the permitted stay limited to 90 days out of a total of 180 days.
Can I get Russian visa on arrival?
To enter Russia, a U. S. citizen must have a valid U. S. passport and a valid Russian visa issued by a Russian Embassy or Consulate. Russian visas are issued upon presentation of an appropriate invitation from a Russian source, with only Russian individuals and agencies being responsible for the welfare and actions of their American guests.
Student visas are issued by the Foreign Ministry of Education (FMS) upon application from the educational institution. These visas do not include an exit visa but require a separate application to the proper Russian authorities. They are valid for three months, with a possible extension by the local FMS. Students can remain in Russia for the duration of the visa’s validity but cannot leave the country upon its expiration.
Work visas are subject to quotas established by territorial agencies in the regions and approved annually by the Russian Government. Quotas take into account the demographic situation in the relevant region and its ability to accommodate foreign nationals, prioritizing domestic labor. Prospective employers must initiate the application process at the FMS and obtain permission from the local branch of the FMS. The FMS office issues a document confirming legal employment, and Russian authorities may require tests for drugs and infectious diseases for holders of work visas.
Can you still visit Russia as a tourist?
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCDO) advises against all travel to Russia due to the risks and threats posed by Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The situation in Russia is unpredictable, with security incidents like drone attacks occurring in some parts, limited flights to the UK, and limited government assistance. Terrorists are also likely to carry out attacks in major cities. The security situation in Russia is characterized by drone attacks and explosions in western and southern Russia, particularly near the Russian border with Ukraine.
Do we need a visa to travel to Russia?
Indian nationals need a visa from the Russian Embassy/Consulates in India or their country of permanent residence or a FAN ID to enter, stay, and exit the Russian Federation. For land routes into Russia or Kaliningrad, a Schengen Visa is required. A valid passport is required for entry and stay in the Russian Federation. A Russian entry visa can be obtained from the Russian Embassy/Consulates in India or the country of permanent residence.
Indian citizens can enter and leave the Russian Federation visa-free multiple times with a FAN ID, either in laminated form or electronic format, provided they have valid identification documents recognized by the Russian Federation (passport). After July 25, 2018, a regular visa is required.
📹 Our Russian Visa Nightmare | 31 Hours Flying Australia to Russia
Who knew that the Russian visa would be such a nightmare to organize…this is our experience of the visa process. After getting …
You are complaining in your just another day in paradise :/ Aussie passport has visa-free access to 160 countries, while my poor Bangladeshi passport has visa-free access to 47 countries :/ This is my story for almost every time I travel, and I travel 5-6 times every year. Thankfully though, courtesy FIFA World Cup last year, I got “Fan ID” as Russian Visa, which worked as multiple entry visa till 31st December, so I visited Russia twice 🙂 Come visit Bangladesh some time, it will be a crazy experience, different from India too. And you will need visa to visit :p
So happy that you both made it to Russia safely and we are excited to see these adventures. Could you watch out latest article as we’re starting our Peru series and we’d love to hear your thoughts as well. By the way, I think it’s absolutely incredible how many hours you traveled. We definitely feel your pain we just went through a LONG travel day experience as well.
Gosh, I’m so excited for you guys! I’m from Russia, not Saint-Petersburg,though, but I’ve been in this city twice and i absolutely loved it! By the way, at the 9th of May you could’ve have seen amazing fireworks there as it’s a big holiday at that day. Anyway, I hope you’ll fall in love with this city and our culture))
LOL, “what do you mean WE pulled that off!?” Honestly I love to see your all’s commitment and perseverance. Seeing Stephen navigate the little details of the airport and traveling solo with Jess behind on the phone literally made me think of my husband and me in certain situations. So beautiful to see you guys doing what you can for each other, no matter what!
With a Bangladeshi Passport, my wife and I applied for Australian visa (from Dhaka, Bangladesh) on July 9th, 2018 to attend a wedding in Brisbane on September 2nd, 2018. We thought a month and a half is MORE than enough to get a visa but we were wrong. So on August 30th 2018 we realized we won’t be attending our friends wedding in Brisbane and notified them. The good thing about e-visa was that you could keep your passport so even though it was over two months that we didn’t get the visa, we had our passports with us so we gave up on Australian visa and went to visit Ankor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia, Singapore and Sumatra Indonesia. When I reached Indonesia end of September, I received an email that my evisa was approved (which took almost 3 months). This year, we applied for UK visa (sticker visa, not the evisa) on April 22nd because we want to watch the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 (from Dhaka, Bangladesh) and its been over one month but we didn’t get our visas yet and THIS time our passports have been sent to the UK Embassy Delhi, India (since UK Embassy Dhaka doesn’t process visas anymore as of 2017). We had our German Embassy appointment for Schenzen Visa on this Sunday, May 26th, which we have to cancel meaning we don’t have time to apply for Schenzen visa anymore EVEN if we get the UK visa. The ICC Cricket World Cup starts on May 30th, we haven’t bought plane tickets yet because if our visa applications get rejected then we would loose MORE money than booking an airplane.
Getting a visa to Australia is even more difficult. Last year, the whole process of obtaining an Australian visa took me 2 months. And such a list of documents that only Australia requires to apply for a visa. And this despite the fact that we have a son and a family living there. Of course, it’s a pity that to see another country, people have to go through such a nightmare. But anyway, WELCOME to Russia!
We have Philippine passports and we just got our russian visas back. We had an option for regular processing-2 weeks or rush-1week (price is also 2x). Compared to US, UK, Schengen, Australian visa, Russian visa is probably the easiest for me by far. All the other places require us to provide the ff: completed form (UK has the longest), bank certificates (and other possessions including land titles, etc), certificate of employment, all transportation (tickets), accommodation, travel history (in the past, schengen visas wanted us to provide all visas and stamps in the passport), insurance, itinerary, etc. What the russian embassy wanted from us were just the forms, tickets, accommodation (and voucher) and our current passport 😂 I felt incomplete submitting the documents because they required so little from us
The easiest way for a foreigner to visit Russia for a few days (if I’m not mistaken it’s 2 days maximum) is to come to Finland and get to St. Petersburg by water. You don’t need a visa if it is a short cruise vocation, you just need to have your ticket with you and you can go sightseeing and whatever you want in St.Pb.
I travelled to Russia in 2018 for 11 days with a tour company. The visa was a nerve wracking experience for me as well because they were so slow. I started very early too. I had a missed connection in Paris so my luggage was lost for 4 days. The rest of the trip was great but some people we met had problems because they did not arrive on the exact date specified in the visa. This resulted in heavy fines. I think she arrived one day early. I would love to go again.
I completely empathize with you both when dealing with the Russian Consulate in Sydney. This is extremely similar to what happened to me. I had to fly down to Sydney to pick up mine a few days before I flew out too! I applied a MONTH before, did every procedure correct as requested, waited and waited, started panicking and then I received an email THREE WEEKS later after emailing them, telling me that I had to come down and collect my passport. Rushed down to Sydney on a morning flight, pushed through morning Rush hour commute on the trains and finally collected it! This was ALL because I didn’t provide the consulate with a second express envelope to return it back to me! All I can say is LESSON LEARNED!
This is literally been the pain of my life. Having a Russian passport and trying to travel the world has never been easy. I’m half Polish and half Russian with a Russian passport, and even to travel to see my own family in Poland, I would have to apply for the visa every time and to pretty much any country also. I feel your pain with having to list all the countries you’ve visited for the last 10 years to get the visa. That’s pretty much my standard procedure for applying for any visa when having a Russian passport. Glad you managed to get it all sorted in time. Can’t believe you got the on Victory Day – that’s such a cool thing to experience! Enjoy Russia!
It was so weird seeing the two of you separated, but at the same time it was interesting to see Stephen do solo travel and have him try to figure out things on his own, like checking in. One of the main reasons I started perusal this website is because it’s life goals realized: traveling full time with a companion, but there’s also something to be said about solo travel that forces you out of your comfort zone and to be truly independent, finding yourself without another person’s input or influence. Anyway, I’m still relieved that everything worked out and that you’re reunited, and I look forward to perusal this new Russia series since it’s another foreign country that I don’t know much about and would love to learn more about. Thanks for sharing and don’t forget Fun Facts with Jess! ^_^
It has been a long time since my trip to Moscow and Vladimir region. What I loved most was the very deep underground transportation system, in Moscow it was amazing. We even got lost, and it was fun! The street food was great, and VODKA was part of EVERY meal (well maybe not breakfast). Went before they repainted St. Basil’s in Red Square. If you can get a local guide ( I know you are part of a tour) but the local people sort of freelance and give awesome tours. That is how we got inside and went to the top of St. Basil’s and it truly was the most awesome thing. Everyone was very friendly and helpful, wonderful people in my experience. Be sure to go to the outside markets, and if possible out into the countryside if possible. I am so EXCITED for you both!!!
I went to St Petersburg last year and it was nerve wracking to get a visa since there was so little information about it online (aside from stories of how difficult it can be) but I found the process surprisingly easy! I applied in the UK at a visa office in Manchester and despite paying the standard fee had my passport and visa back in a week. The paperwork, however, was exceptionally tedious!
Steve, I have the exact headphones 🎧 as you. Bose QC25. About a month ago on line I ordered and have received a BTunes bluetooth wireless device that transforms your Bose into wireless. absolutely love it. I definitely recommend you look into getting one. Love perusal all your vlogs from all over the world.
Getting a Russian visa, one year visa included, in Finland is pretty straighforward in my opinion. There are several agencies that will handle the process for the applicant. Just fill a form with your info (usually can do that online), send them a few documents with the passport and they will send it back after about two weeks. For a small extra charge that will save a lot of hassle compared to doing it all by yourself.
Wow great destination, you will have amazing time in Russia. Perfect timing as well, we went there this time last year and the weather was just perfect. We traveled through Russia on Trans-Siberian railway so if you need any tip I will be more than happy to help (also I’ve put together few articles from that trip, not nearly good as you pro editing, anyway maybe it could give you rough idea of what to visit/do there) 🙂 Enjoy your journey! and here is a pro tip – learn a few russian words in advance 🙂
Guys, when i went to Russia and Europe; i applied for our visa 3 months in advance. why are you applying with just 2 weeks left to departure? i wouldn’t call that a nightmare but lack of preparation. Schengen Visas take longer to get approved. ours was 3 weeks. some have waited longer from my personal experience, the most difficult requirement in obtaining a Russian Visa is the invitation letter. Other than that, there are far less requirements and difficulty in obtaining a Russian Visa compared to the ton of requirements for a Schengen Visa
I applied for Canadian visa, I am Russian – besides thousands of various papers, they asked to bring even the title deed for my apartment and provide detailed trip rout by each day. It took 15 working days to get visa. Most funny is when I arrived in Vancouver, I had experience like I am in North Korea – so many dump questions on why I came and where I go and etc. I already freaking provided all when I have applied and they have it all in the system. So far it is the worst experience for me along with Chinese visa. So i guess it depends on particular case and luck 🙂