Russia Visa for Indians

Russia does not have visa-on-arrival arrangements with India. It means, Indians who want to visit Russia, regardless of their purpose of visit, must obtain a visa before entering the country.

However, Russia offers an e-visa facility for Indians with which you can get a short-visit visa to Russia in an easy and speedy way. The best part about the Russia e-visa for Indians is that you can apply directly without having to worry about a lot of requirements. We will discuss e-visa in detail in the next section.

Again, No.

The Schengen Region is a group of 26 countries in Europe that share mutual borders. The residents from these countries do not require a visa to enter and stay in other Schengen Area countries.

Russia neither belongs to the Schengen Region nor is a part of the European Union. As mentioned above, it is a transcontinental nation spread across Asia and Europe. Thus, it has its own visa policies and immigration laws.

Visa Type	Stay Duration
Tourist Visa	Maximum stay duration of 60 days
Business Visa	Varying validity periods
Student Visa	As per the duration of academic program
Unified e-Visa (UEV)	Maximum stay duration of 16 days
Work Visa	As per the employment contract
Private Visa	Maximum stay duration of 90 days
Transit Visa	24 Hours

**Tourist Visa:** A Russian tourist visa is the most common visa category among Indians, as it allows you to visit Russia for the purpose of tourism. It is typically a single-entry visa that offers a maximum stay of 60 days.

Business Visa: If you want to visit Russia to carry out business activities such as attending meetings, singing contracts, conducting business, etc., then you should apply for a business visa. It can be either a single-entry or multiple-entry visa based on your requirements.

Student Visa: As the title suggests, the student visa is designed for foreign students who want to visit Russia for educational purposes. It can offer a long-term or short-term stay based on the educational program you are enrolled in.

Unified e-Visa (UEV): The Russian e-Visa is the most popular short-stay visa among foreign applicants. The best part about this visa is that it does not require any proof of accommodation, a letter of invitation, or any additional documents.

Furthermore, you can directly apply online without having to visit the Russian embassy or visa application centre. It gets processed within 4 days of submitting the application and allows you to stay in Russia for up to 16 days.

Work Visa: As the name suggests, a work visa in Russia allows you to work and stay in Russia based on the duration of your employment contract. It is a renewable visa, which means you can extend it further if needed.

Private Visa: It is a type of visa that allows you to join your family members and friends living in Russia. It is a single-entry visa that grants you a maximum stay of 90 days in the country.

To obtain this permit, you must have an invitation letter from the host along with their address and identity proof in Russia.

Transit Visa: This permit is available for individuals who need to pass through Russia on their way to their destination country. Transit visas in Russia are generally short-term and have a maximum validity period of 24 hours.

Note that this permit only allows you to stay in the international transit area at the Russian airport. So, if you want to exit the airport and enter any Russian city, you must obtain a tourist or any other relevant visa based on your purpose.

Valid Passport: Before anything else, you need a passport that must be valid for at least six months after your scheduled stay in Russia. For the visa stamping purpose, it must also have at least two blank pages.

Complete and Signed Visa Application Form: Next, you need to provide a complete and duly-signed Russian visa application form based on your purpose of visit. Make sure that your application form is correct otherwise it can lead to delays and even visa rejections.

Recent Passport-size Photos: You need to submit at least 2-3 passport-size photos as per the given specifications. Make sure that your photos are no more than 6 months older.

Trip Itinerary (for tourist visa): In the case of short-visit visas like tourist and business visas, you are required to submit a detailed trip itinerary to the immigration authorities. If you are applying for an e-Visa, then you do not have to worry about this requirement.

Return Air Tickets: Some specific visas like tourist visas require confirmed air tickets to your home country. This is required to make sure that you have no intentions of staying in Russia and only visiting there for a temporary period.

Letter of Invitation (for private visa): Private visas that allow you to join your family or friends in Russia require a letter of invitation from the host. Besides, you also need to submit the identity and address proof of the host and prove your relationship with them.

Offer Letter (for work visa): If you are applying for a work visa in Russia, then you must submit your job offer letter provided by the Russian employer. The offer letter must clearly state your job role, responsibilities, contract duration and salary.

Employment Documentation: To prove your connection with your home country, you may be asked to submit your current employment details, salary slips, and a few other supporting documents.

Proof of Acceptance (for student visa): Those applying for a student visa must submit a letter of acceptance from the Russian university or institution they have applied for.

Proof of Funds: It is one of the most critical requirements to obtain a Russia visa from India. You need to prove your financial sufficiency in order to support yourself in Russia.

For this requirement, you can submit your bank statements (signed and sealed by the bank manager), ITR, pay slips of the last few months, and a few others. Note that you can not show your property or jewellery as proof of funds for obtaining a visa.

Note: These are the common documents required to apply for a Russian visa from India. This is not an exclusive list. The document requirement can vary based on the particular type of visa you are applying for. Hence, it is advisable to go through the specific requirements before proceeding further.

Through Russian Embassy

Identify the Right Visa Type: Choosing the wrong visa category can result in unnecessary delays in visa processing. Hence, the very first step in obtaining a Russia visa for Indians is to opt for the right visa type based on the purpose of the visit.

Gather the Required Documents: Every visa type has its own requirements and eligibility criteria. Thus, it is important to understand the requirements for the selected visa type and gather all the necessary documents in advance.

Book an Appointment: Once you have all the documents ready, book an appointment with the Russian Embassy in New Delhi and schedule an appointment.

Visit the Russian Embassy for the Interview: On the scheduled day, visit the Embassy and proceed with the application process. This includes filling out and submitting the form and documents, appearing for the interview and so on.

Pay Visa Fees: Next, pay the visa application fee. Now, all you need to do is wait for the visa decision.

Collect Your Passport: Once the visa decision is out, visit the Embassy again and collect your passport and visa.

Through Russian Visa Application Centres

Step 1: Visit the online platform of the approved Russian Visa Processing Centre.

Step 2: Select your home country as “India” from the drop-down.

Step 3: Click on the type of visa you are applying for. For instance, select “Tourist” if you are applying for a tourist visa.

Step 4: Next, click “Apply in person” from the given options. Then, select “Fill online form” to fill out the visa application online.

Step 5: Submit the online application and book an appointment for the visa interview by selecting “Visit the application centre”. Alternatively, you can also send your documents and application form by post if the visa centre is very far from your location.

Step 6: On the scheduled date, visit the visa application centre with your documents and fees and appear for the interview.

After your documents and application form is submitted, all you need to do is wait for the visa decision. Once it is declared, you can either collect your documents in person or have them sent via courier by paying additional charges to the VAC.

The processing time for a Russia visa from India can range between 2 to 3 weeks depending on the type of visa and the efficiency of the Russia visa centres.

Moreover, the eVisa or UEV takes a maximum of 4 days to process the application. Therefore, if you are in a hurry and require a stay of up to 16 days, then eVisa is the best option.

Following are the charges for a Russian visa at the Russian Visa Centres:

Visa Type	Visa Fee (in ~₹)	Visa Processing Time
Normal Visa (Single Entry)	₹6,480	4-20 Working Days
Normal Visa (Double Entry)	₹10,368	4-20 Working Days
Normal Visa (Multiple Entry)	₹19,440	4-20 Working Days
Urgent Visa (Single Entry)	₹12.960	1-3 Working Days
Urgent Visa (Double Entry)	₹20,736	1-3 Working Days
Urgent Visa (Multiple Entry)	₹38,880	1-3 Working Days

As of March 21, 2024 at 2 PM (IST)

Note: An additional service fee of ₹2,200 will be charged by the visa centre.

Disclaimer: These charges are based on current conversion rates. However, it must be noted that the fee amounts are subject to fluctuations. It is advisable to check the current visa fee from the official sources before proceeding.

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Name	Consulate General of Russia in Chennai	Consulate of Russia in Hyderabad	Consulate of Russia in Mumbai	Consulate General of Russia in Kolkata
Address	No. 33, Santhome High Road, Mylapore, Chennai (600004), India	Russian Honorary Consulate in Hyderabad, Sasha Villa, 1-86, Row House No.1, Palm County, Dargah Hussain Shah Wali, Hyderabad (500 008), India	Russian Consulate General in Mumbai, 42, L.Jagmohandas Marg, Mumbai (400 036), India	Russian Consulate General in Kolkata, 22A, Raja Santosh Road Alipore, Kolkata (700 027), India
Email	ruschennai@yandex.ru	honycghydrusfed@gmail.com	consulate_mumbai@mail.ru	rus.consul.kolkata@gmail.com
Phone Number	+91-44-2498-2320	+91-40-2356-5006	+91-22-2363-3627	+91-33-2479-7006
FAX	+91-44-2498-2336	+91-40-2356-5007	+91-22-2363-1493	+91-33-2479-8889
Working Hours	Monday: 8:00 to 14:00 and 15:30 to 18:30 Tuesday: 8:00 to 14:00 Wednesday: 8:00 to 14:00 Thursday: 8:00 to 14:00 and 15:30 to 18:30 Friday: 8:00 to 14:00	Monday to Friday: By Appointment	Monday: 8:00 to 14:00 and 15:30 to 18:30 Tuesday: 8:00 to 14:00 Wednesday: 8:00 to 14:00 Thursday: 8:00 to 14:00 and 15:30 to 18:30 Friday: 8:00 to 14:00	Monday to Friday : 8:00 to 14:00 and 15:30 to 18:30

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Name	Russian Embassy in New Delhi
Address	50-F, Shantipath, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi (110021), India
Phone Number	+91-11-2611-0640
FAX	+91-11-2687-6823
Working Hours	Monday: 8:00 to 14:00 and 15:30 to 18:30 Tuesday: 8:00 to 14:00 Wednesday: 8:00 to 14:00 Thursday: 8:00 to 14:00 and 15:30 to 18:30 Friday: 8:00 to 14:00

Name	Embassy of India, Moscow
Address	6-8, Ulitsa Vorontsovo Polye, Moscow, Russia
Phone Number	+7-495-7837535
FAX	+7-495-9163632
Email	+amb.moscow@mea.gov.in
Working Hours	Monday to Friday: 0930 hrs to 1800 hrs

Is a Travel Insurance Plan Mandatory When Visiting Russia?

• As of now, a travel insurance certificate is not mandatory for travelling to Russia. It means, your visa application will be processed even if you do not have a travel insurance certificate.

• However, having an efficient travel insurance plan is highly recommended for travelling to Russia or any other foreign country.

• The reason behind this is simple: the right travel plan helps you navigate through the medical and other emergencies with ease on a foreign land. Not only it saves you from paying exorbitant amounts of money in foreign currency, but also ensures a safe and hassle-free journey abroad.

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Categories	Specifications
Capital	Moscow
Time zone	Moscow Standard Time (UTC +3)
Official language	Russian
Major International Airports	Sheremetyevo International Airport (SVO), Domodedovo International Airport (DME)
Climate	Ranges from
Average Round-Year Temperature	Vary depending on the regions
Best Time to Visit	May to September (For a majority of Russian regions)
Best Known For	Beautiful Landscapes, Rich History
Popular places to See	Red Square, Lake Baikal, Kremlin Hermitage Museum
Top Cities in Russia	Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Novosibirsk