Service Status

Real Russia is closely monitoring the latest developments relating to Ukraine and Crimea. We are pleased to announce we are experiencing no adverse issues that affect our ability to provide services and we continue to offer visas, accommodation, train tickets and our tours in Russia, China and Mongolia.

• Your safety is of utmost importance to us at Real Russia, there is no suggestion that travellers should change their plans - the situation is stable and national and international tourists continue to be welcomed in Russia and the region.
• The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not changed its travel advice to Russia. There is advice on travelling to Ukraine which can be viewed here https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/ukraine but this issue directly relates to Ukraine/Crimea, it does NOT include Russia.
• It’s good to be reminded of just how large Russia is. St Petersburg is 1300 miles away from Crimea in Ukraine, and Moscow is 850 miles away. Even during these last two weeks whilst the story has been at its peak on our TV screens, we have had NO negative reports from our clients travelling or our contacts working on the ground.
• If any further news becomes available we will update this information.

The Azerbaijani Visa Application Center and Consulate will be closed on the following dates:

• 29th of May (Spring Bank Holiday)
• 15th of June (National Salvation Day)
• 26th of June (Army and Navy Day, Ramadan)
• 27th of June (Ramadan, Eid Ul-Fitr)

As a result, there will be no visa application submissions or collections on these days and these days will not count towards the visa processing time.

From February 1, 2016, citizens of United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Japan, China, South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore will be able to obtain a 30-day single entry visa in all international airports of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The Belarussian Consulate will be closed on the following dates:

• 8th-9th of May (Victory Day)

As a result, there will be no visa application submissions or collections on these days and these days will not count towards the visa processing time. Please also note that Consular and Visa Section of the Embassy of the Republic of Belarus is closed every Wednesday. For any further information, or if you have any questions, please contact our visa team.

The Chinese Visa Application Centre and Consulate will be closed on the 29th of May due to the Spring Bank Holiday.

As a result, there will unfortunately be no visa application submissions or collections on this day and this day will not count towards the visa processing time. For any further information, or if you have any questions, please contact our visa team.

The Kazakhstan Consulate will be closed on the 6th of July due to Day of the Capital.

As a result, there will be no visa application submissions or collections on this day and this day will not count towards the visa processing time.

In accordance with the Governmental Regulation №483 from June 26, 2015 to the amendments and additions to the Decree of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated January 21, 2012 №148 citizens of the United Kingdom, United States of America, Germany, France, Italy, Malaysia, Netherlands, United Arab Emirates, South Korea, Switzerland, Spain, Belgium, Hungary, Monaco, Singapore, Australia, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Japan are exempt from visa requirements for visits up to 30 calendar days from the moment of crossing the state border between July 16, 2015 to December 31, 2017.

For any further information, or if you have any questions, please contact our visa team.

In accordance with the law «About introduction of a visa-free regime for citizens of some states within 60 days» nationals of the following countries can visit Kyrgyzstan without a visa till 31 December 2020: Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brunei-Darussalam, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, Vatican.

For any further information, or if you have any questions, please contact our visa team.

The Mongolian Consulate will be closed on the following dates:

• 1st of June (Children’s Day)
• 11th-15th of July (Naadam Festival)

As a result, there will be no visa application submissions or collections on these days and these days will not count towards the visa processing time. Please also note that Consular and Visa sections of Mongolian Embassy are closed every Wednesday and Friday. For any further information, or if you have any questions, please contact our visa team.

The Russian Visa Application Centre and Consulate will be closed on the 12th of June due to Russia Day.

As a result, there will be no visa application and business invitations submissions or collections on this day and this day will not count towards the processing time. For any further information, or if you have any questions, please contact our visa team.

Following the presidential order, as of 10th December 2014 all applicants over 12 years of age applying for their Russian visas in the UK, Denmark, Myanmar and Namibia are required to provide their biometric data at the time of having their visa documents submitted for processing at the consulate.

Information on the requirements and the new process may be found here.

The Tajikistan Consulate will be closed on the following dates:

• 29th of May (Spring Bank Holiday)
• 26th of June (Ruza Hayit, Eid-Al Fitr)
• 29th of June (National Unity Day)

As a result, there will be no visa application submissions or collections on these days and these days will not count towards the visa processing time. Please also note that the Tajikistan Consulate is closed every Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. For any further information, or if you have any questions, please contact our visa team.

There are currently no issues reported at the consulate of Turkmenistan.

The Ukrainian Consulate will be closed on the following dates:

• 29th of May (Spring Bank Holiday)
• 5th of June (Whit Monday, Trinity)
• 28th of June (Constitution Day of Ukraine)

As a result, there will be no visa application submissions or collections on these days and these days will not count towards the visa processing time. For any further information, or if you have any questions, please contact our visa team.

The Uzbekistan Visa Application Center and Consulate will be closed on the 29th of May due to Spring Bank Holiday.

As a result, there will be no visa application submissions or collections on this day and this day will not count towards the visa processing time. Please also note that Consular and Visa Sections of the Uzbekistan Embassy are closed every Tuesday and Thursday. For any further information, or if you have any questions, please contact our visa team.

The Vietnam Embassy will be closed on the 29th of May due to Spring Bank Holiday.

As a result, there will be no visa application submissions or collections on this day and this day will not count towards the visa processing time. For any further information, or if you have any questions, please contact our visa team.

On 22 June 2015, the Vietnamese Embassy received formal notification that the Government of Vietnam will not require a visa for British, German, French, Spanish and Italian citizens travelling to Vietnam (for all purposes) for a period of up to 15 days, and on the basis of meeting all conditions prescribed by Vietnamese laws.

The visa exemption period has been extended from 01 July 2016 to 30 June 2017. If you wish to enter Viet Nam at least two consecutive times without visa, the next entry must be at least 30 days after the previous exit. Otherwise, you still need a visa.