The visa policy of Russia deals with the requirements of foreign nationals to enter Russia.
Despite international sanctions during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia continues to issue visas to citizens of all countries. A summary of visa requirements for citizens of each country is available online in Russian.
Russia exempts citizens from many countries from obtaining a visa, although an Electronic Travel Authorization with a QR code from the Gosuslugi mobile app is required in these cases. If a visa is required, depending on country of origin, some people may obtain an electronic visa (e-Visa); while others must apply for a visa at a diplomatic mission of Russia or visa center. A holder of a visa to enter Belarus may also enter Russia with such visa; however, this policy does not apply to Belarusian e-visas.
Types of visas available for issuance include private, business, tourist, educational, working, transit, humanitarian, service, and diplomatic. The length and terms of visas depend on the nationality of the recipient and other personal circumstances. Multi-year tourist visas are available to citizens of the United States (3-year visa, 6 months per visit with an unlimited number of visits) and the European Union (5-year visa).
The Russian visa is a machine-readable document that is stickered to a page in the holder's passport. It includes characters in both the cyrillic script and Latin alphabet.
To apply for a visa, a passport, a passport photo, a tourist invitation letter (can be purchased online), and a printed completed application form are required.
At any border crossing, foreigners may be questioned, have their biometrics taken, including fingerprints and photos, and are subject to search of baggage and mobile phone content, including contact lists, correspondence, and posts on social media. Officers focus on contact with Ukrainians, and any opinions on politics and the Russo-Ukrainian war.
Transporting any amount of currency of countries in the European Union (EU), including Euros, directly to Russia from EU countries such as Estonia and Latvia is prohibited by the EU.
Crimea is under de facto Russian control and the visa policy of Russia applies for travel to Crimea. Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia are internationally recognized as part of Ukraine, and, although they are at least partially or sometimes controlled by Russia, the visa policy of Ukraine applies to travel to these regions.
Upon entering Russia, a visitor will receive a migration paper; this paper must be returned upon leaving the country or a fine must be paid. Replacements can be obtained from the police.
If a visitor who requires a visa loses his or her passport while in Russia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can issue a Return-Home certificate after receipt of a letter from the embassy of such visitor; otherwise, the visitor must apply for an exit visa. Staying in Russia past the expiration date of a visa requires a court decision for deportation.
Holders of ordinary passports of the following countries and territories may enter Russia without a visa for visits up to the period listed below.
Nationals who are exempt from obtaining a visa must obtain an Electronic Travel Authorization with a QR code from the Gosuslugi mobile app. They may not reset the allowed period of stay by leaving and re-entering the country.
Foreign citizens from visa-exempt countries may only stay 90 days within any 1 calendar year period, unless otherwise stipulated by an international agreement or Russian legislation.
<sub>ID - May enter with a national ID card in lieu of a passport.</sub><br/> <sub>ID<sup>KZ</sup> - May enter with a national ID card in lieu of a passport if arriving directly from Kazakhstan.</sub><br/> <sub>IP - May enter with an internal passport.</sub><br/> <sub>A - For Chinese citizens with People's Republic of China passports, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passports or Macao Special Administrative Region passports only.</sub><br /> <sub>T - Temporary measure until 14 September 2026.</sub><br/> <sub>1 - 90 days within any 180-day period.</sub><br/> <sub>2 - 90 days within any 365-day period.</sub><br/> <sub>3 - 90 days within any 1 calendar year period.</sub><br/> <sub>4 - 90 days within any 1 year period.</sub><br/> <sub>5 - 60 days within any 180-day period.</sub><br/> <sub>6 - 30 days within any 60-day period.</sub>
The Russian government has signed visa exemption agreements with the following countries, but they have not yet entered into force:
The Russian government is currently in discussions to conclude visa exemption agreements with the following countries:
<sub>A - 30 days for all passports</sub><br/> <sub>TG - For tourist groups</sub>
Holders of APEC Business Travel Cards as well as passports issued by full members of APEC (listed below) may enter Russia without a visa for business trips for up to 90 days within any 180-day period.
ABTCs are issued to citizens of:
The following partnerships provide for special entry rules to citizens of certain countries:
Holders of a valid visa or residence permit of either Belarus or Russia and a mutually recognized identity document may enter both countries, within the validity of the visa; however, this policy does not apply to e-visas. In cases where one country has a visa-free regime and the other requires a visa, the person must hold both the ID document and a visa for the latter.
Foreign nationals with temporary permanent residency or a document for attending an international event have the right to enter, exit, stay, and transit without a visa within the validity of their documents.
Stay duration is calculated from entry into one country from a third state.
The common visa does not apply to individuals restricted from entering either country. Officials retain the right to deny entry or reduce the duration of stay for any foreign national or stateless person, as well as to check compliance with entry, exit, transit, or stay regulations.
Crossing between Belarus and Russia via land is allowed only at the following 6 international border crossing points:
International tourists entering by regular ferry via several ports are able to stay in Russia visa-free for up to 72 hours, provided that they spend the night on-board or in accommodation specifically approved by the travel agency.
In addition, tourists entering by tourist cruise ships can leave the ship visa-free on tours organized by any authorized local tour company, when entering Russia through the ports of Anadyr, Kaliningrad, Korsakov, Novorossiysk, Murmansk, Sevastopol, Sochi, Saint Petersburg (Great Port of Saint Petersburg and Passenger Port of St. Petersburg), Vladivostok, Vyborg, Zarubino.
Residents of the border areas of Kazakhstan who visit the territory of the border areas of Russia up to three days can enter Russia through checkpoints, which are specially installed for residents of border areas.
Residents of the border areas of Norway who have a permit for local border traffic can visit the border areas of Russia without a visa. From 4 March 2017, the Protocol on amendments to the current agreement entered into force â residents of Neiden, Norway and nearby received the right to receive a permit for local border traffic.
From 27 July 2012, residents of the border areas of Poland who have a permit for local border traffic can visit Kaliningrad Oblast without a visa. The agreement has been suspended for an indefinite period by Poland from 4 July 2016.
Citizens of following countries may visit Russia without a visa if they are travelling as part of the airline crew: Afghanistan, Algeria, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, India, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, North Korea, North Macedonia, Norway, Oman, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Singapore, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and Vietnam.
Agreements are pending for Georgia and Tunisia.
Citizens of following countries may visit Russia without a visa if they are travelling as part of the sea crew: Bulgaria, China,<sup>1</sup> Croatia, Cyprus, DR Congo, Egypt, France, Iran, Iraq, Lithuania, North Korea, Poland, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Vietnam.
Citizens of following countries may visit Russia without a visa if they are travelling as part of the railway crew: China, North Korea, Turkmenistan.
Passengers travelling through international airports do not need a visa for a transit of less than 24 hours in most circumstances, provided a confirmed onward ticket is held and the traveller remains in the international transit area, without clearing regular passport control.
The following international Russian airports do not have international transit areas, meaning a transit visa is required to transfer planes:
In accordance with a treaty between Russia and Finland, though there are passport controls at borders, a visa is not required for just passing through the Russian part of the Saimaa canal without leaving the vessel.
The road from Värska to Ulitina in Estonia, traditionally the only road to the Ulitina area, goes through Russian territory for one kilometre (0.6 mi) of its length, an area called Saatse Boot. This road has no border control, but there is no connection to any other road in Russia. It is not permitted to stop or walk along the road. This area is a part of Russia but is also a de facto part of the Schengen area.
Citizens of the following 64 countries and territories may obtain an electronic visa (e-Visa), which allows entry for up to 30 days until 120 days after issuance.
<sub>* - Visa-exempt in general.</sub>
Citizens of the following 18 countries could apply for an e-Visa to visit to regions in the Far Eastern Federal District: Algeria, Bahrain, Brunei, China, India, Iran, Japan, North Korea, Kuwait, Mexico, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates.
Citizens of 54 countries could apply for single-entry business, humanitarian and tourist visas to visit the Kaliningrad region.
Holders of diplomatic or various categories of service passports (consular, official, service, special) of the following countries and territories may enter and remain in Russia without a visa for the following period:
<sub>C - Consular passports</sub><br/> <sub>D - Diplomatic passports</sub><br/> <sub>O - Official passports</sub><br/> <sub>S - Service passports</sub><br/> <sub>Sp - Special passports</sub>
<sub>1 â 90 days within any 365-day period.</sub><br/> <sub>2 â 90 days within any 180-day period.</sub><br/> <sub>3 - With the right of multiple entry and exit.</sub><br/> <sub>4 - Applies only to employees of official institutions operating in the territory of a contracting parties and their families.</sub>
The visa exemption for holders of diplomatic passports of European Union member states, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland has been suspended.
Holders of diplomatic or service passports of Israel require a visa.
The Russian government is considering visa exemption provisions for non-ordinary passport holders of the following countries:
In accordance with the Government Decree of 1992, special authorization is required to enter 19 closed cities in Russia. This restriction does not apply to Russian citizens.
A full list of such areas:
The Russian government issues general tourist visas for up to 6 months to citizens from 19 countries with only a hotel reservation or other confirmation of accommodation reservation.
The following is a list of the 10 countries to whose citizens were issued the most Russian electronic visas: Issuance of e-visas was suspended from 2020 to 2023.
The following is a list of the 10 countries to whose citizens were issued the most Russian visas: