Most cities throughout Russia are relatively straightforward to register in, and if you plan on staying in a hotel then you should have no problems with registration.
If you are staying in one of the following “restricted” cities and not in a hotel, you will need:
a. to list the city as one to be visited, when you are requesting your visa or visa support from us, and have a copy of your visa support documents with you when you arrive in Russia. b. to get a registration support letter from us once you are in Russia.
If the UFMS (Federal Migration Service Organisation) fails to register your visa due to their interpretation of the Migration Law, you can use one of the following options:
- Try to register via a post office.
- Try to find a friendly hotel that will be willing to provide you with registration at a reasonable fee, without obligation to stay at the hotel.
- Send us a scanned copy of your passport photo page, as well as scanned copies of your visa and migration card to registration@realrussia.co.uk, and we will then register your visa via our Moscow office.
a. If you get registration via our Moscow office and plan on visiting one of the cities listed below, please make us aware, so that we can register your visa in Moscow to cover the entire duration of your stay in Russia. b. Should you be stopped by the police while in one of the “restricted cities”, you will need to state that you are mostly staying in Moscow where your visa has been registered, and that you do not intend on staying in the “restricted” city for more than 7 working days.
If you didn’t have problems in one of the “restricted” cities mentioned below while staying in a private apartment or, vice versa, had problems but successfully managed to register your visa, please let us know by posting a message to our forum or send us an email to registration@realrussia.co.uk. Your feedback is greatly appreciated!
ASTRAKHAN
While Astrakhan is not technically a "restricted city" the local authorities request additional documents for registration if the individual is not staying in a hotel registered for foreigners. For registration periods over seven days the inviting organisation needs to provide:
- A copy of the passport of the General Director
- A company letter stating that the inviting company will take all responsibility for the invited person during their stay in Russia.
These conditions are not possible for our or almost any other Russian company to provide and you should consider this information when organising trips to this area.
BARNAUL
DIMITROVGRAD
While this area is not restricted, the local authorities penalise people who try to register non “private” visas at private addresses. So, if you have a tourist, business or other type of visa, and are staying in a private apartment, then you should not register this locally or you will be officially fined which can lead to a 5-year ban on entering Russia.
GORNO-ALTAYSK
KAMCHATKA and PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY
As of 01.02.2007 this region is now only allowed to be entered by foreign nationals who receive a special permit from the local authorities. It is not possible to request business or tourist visas to allow entry alone, the visa must be accompanied by the new permit, which can take up to three months to process.
If travelling on a tourist or business visa then a scan of your visa should be sent to the local FSB before you enter the region.
Here are contact details of a company who can help with the permit, however, you will need to book a tour with them:
Russian Discovery Tel: +7 495 125-28-08 email: go@russiadiscovery.ru
NALCHIK
As with all cities in the Southern Caucasus region, it is very important that you have a copy of your visa support documents with you when entering and leaving the region otherwise you could face extreme difficulty with the authorities including repeated fines.
NIZHNY NOVGOROD
If you are flying directly into Nizhny Novgorod from outside of Russia, for example from Vienna, and wish to use a tourist visa, this now requires a special voucher which we are unable to provide.
This new voucher does not apply if you are using a business visa, or travelling to Nizhny Novgorod from a Russian city.
NORILSK
Norilsk is a closed city for foreigners and you need to obtain a business invitation from a local organisation to avoid the risk of being turned away at the local airport. You should not use a tourist visa under any circumstances.
NOVOSIBIRSK
PERM
PYATIGORSK
ROSTOV-ON-DON
SAKHALIN
If you are travelling to the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk / Sakhalin region, please note that this is a place of restricted passport control.
The Sakhalin local Authorities (Migration Department) exercise close control over all building sites, plant facilities, and other places where foreign citizens can work. If the Authorities find a foreign citizen working there on a business visa invitation processed by some "non-local" company they will deport these people. At the same time, the Sakhalin Authorities will apply sanctions to the company that processed business invitations and also to the company in Sakhalin that invited the foreign citizens for work.
Certainly, foreign citizens can enter Sakhalin on business visas provided by Real Russia if they intend to take a part in meetings, negotiations, conferences, etc. but not for work!
As such we may contact you to confirm the exact nature of your business in the region to avoid any potential problems.
SAMARA
SARATOV
TYUMEN
While this area is not restricted, the local authorities penalise people who try to register non “private” visas at private addresses. So, if you have a tourist, business or other type of visa, and are staying in a private apartment, then you should not register this locally or you will be officially fined which can lead to a 5-year ban on entering Russia.
YAMAL DISTRICTS
This region has many restricted and sanctuary zones you need to have a special permit to visit. Here are contact details of a company who can help with the permit:
http://www.welcome2yamal.ru/ Tourist Information Centre: Telephone: +7(34922)-4-49-49 e-mail: visit@yamaltour.info