Russian Tourist Visas

As of 1st October 2019, nationals of up to 53 foreign states may be granted an e-visa to enter Russia through St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region via plane, ship or vehicle. An e-visa is typically issued within 4 calendar days, including weekends and bank holidays. Unlike conventional visas, there is no need for any invitations, confirmations or to visit the consular agency.

How the e-visa works:

1. Fill in your e-visa application form.
2. Get your e-visa emailed to you.
3. Print out the notification or download this to your mobile phone.
4. Show your notification to a transport company employee.
5. Show your notification to a Border Service Officer at the border.

Please contact us for more information.

Please note: The e-visa is valid for travellers going to the specified regions only, you cannot visit other parts of Russia with this e-visa. In addition, it is not currently possible to get entry and exit on an e-visa by train at this time.

Please see the following link to for any processing issues which may be affecting the Russian tourist visa service.

• Service status page

Prices start from £144.23 for UK passport holders, though the final price will depend on your nationality, the number of visits you wish to make, how quickly you need your visa (service level) and any return delivery or postage. To see the exact price you will pay for your visa (excluding any return delivery), simply select your nationality in the “how do I order?” section above.

Our prices include all costs necessary to get your visa:

• Fees for all visa support documents and letters of invitation
• Russian ministry processing charges and local taxes
• Consular fees and visa center service charges (where applicable)
• Delivery, collection and management of your application at the consulate by our staff

You do not have to:

• Book a flight (unless you are a French passport holder) or a hotel
• Provide your own “letter of invitation” or “visa support documents”

There are no hidden costs, the price you see is the price you pay to get your visa!

The documents that you need to provide to allow us to lodge your application at the consulate depend on your nationality and residency in the United Kingdom.

Check your visa application requirements by selecting your passport nationality from the menu:

AfghanistanAland IslandAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBonaireBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBrazilBrunei DarussalamBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaColumbiaComorosCook IslandsCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCuracaoCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEast Timor (Timor Leste)EcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFalkland IslandsFaroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern Terr. (TAAF)GabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKorea (DPR)KuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLatviaLebanonLesothoLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacauMacedoniaMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesiaMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNepalNetherlandsNetherlands AntillesNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNorfolk IslandsNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestinePanamaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarRepublic De Cote DivoireRepublic of CongoRepublic of KoreaReunion IslandsRomaniaRussian FederationRwandaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSlovak RepublicSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSpainSri LankaSt.HelenaSt.Kitts and NevisSt.LuciaSt.Pierre and MiquelonSt.Vincent and GrenadinesStateless (Travel Document)SudanSurinameSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTogoTokelau IslandsTortolaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUruguayUS Virgin IslandsUSSRUzbekistanVanuataVatican CityVenezuelaVietnamVirgin IslandsWallis & FutunaYemenZambiaZimbabwe

Russian tourist visas are restricted to applying a maximum of six months in advance of the first entry date requested. This means that the Russian consulate is currently accepting tourist visa applications with a requested entry date that is on or before: 13 April 2020.

Please note that the consulate may vary the date that it accepts applications for operational reasons; and in this case we will contact you.

A Russian tourist visa will be valid only for the exact dates you request when submitting your order online, or, if you are providing your own invitation it will be valid only for the dates listed on this.

Once you have your visa, you may enter Russia anytime after midnight of the validity start date and stay up to midnight of the validity end date.

It is important to note that:

• a Russian tourist visa may be valid only for a maximum period of 30 days
• you must never attempt to enter or leave Russia outside of the visa validity period detailed on the visa
• you may not use the visa once you have used the maximum number of entries and exits it allows; once for single entry visas and twice for double entry visas.

The processing time is the number of working days that it will take us to obtain your visa once we have received your documents and lodged your application with the Russian consulate. We will lodge your application the next consular working day after we receive it, provided all the documents are in order and you are able to visit the Russian Visa Application Centre to give your biometric data (fingerprints) – please click here for more information. Visa applications received by our office after 16.30 on weekdays or at any time on Saturdays or non-working days will not start to be processed by our staff until the following working day.

The visa due dates indicated on the order form account for UK and Russian public holidays however please note that the Russian consulate may experience delays when issuing the visas usually shortly after their holiday period is over. For that reason, the visa due dates are only provisional and by no means definitive. In any event, we do not recommend booking your flight or make other travel arrangements until you have got your passport and visa with you.

Please note: if you are travelling to the North Caucasus area (including but not restricted to Vladikavkaz, Magas, Machatschkala, Pyatigorsk) it will take the consulate 21 working days to process your visa, including those requested as “Next Day” services.

Depending upon your chosen method of delivery, we will either dispatch your passport to you on the day the visa is ready or hold it in our office for collection. For Royal Mail Special Delivery, this means that you will have your passport and visa the next business day.”

Yes, of course we can. We will process all three visas “back to back” and return your passport with all three visas when they are complete. See the following links for further details:

• Chinese visas
• Mongolian visas
• Trans-Siberian, Trans-Mongolian and Trans-Manchurian visas
• Train tickets - online schedule and booking

For information and options please see our visa registration guide.

If you are over 12 years of age and applying for your Russian visa from the UK, Denmark, Myanmar or Namibia, you are required to provide your biometric data (fingerprints) when submitting your Russian visa application documents at the Consulate. 

See our FAQ on how the Russian visa biometric process works for a full list of things you need to know, including where to submit your fingerprints.

In most cases, the answer is yes. Please review the following information on taking a child to Russia.

Yes, of course you can, we have an office in central London and we will be happy to see you and assist with your application if needed. If you intend to deliver an application in person or collect your passport and visa we are open for collection and deliveries during the following times.

To order your tourist visa online, simply click on the level of service you want from the options above.

That's it, that's all you have to do!

1. When you select the service you want from the options above you will be taken to the visa application form. You will need to have your national insurance number and passport to hand. You will find helpful explanations from us throughout the form to help explain questions. Once you have completed the form you will be given the option to pay via credit or debit card. 
2. Our visa team will then check through your application form to make sure everything is correct and get in touch if there are any queries 
3. You will need to come down to London to visit the Russian visa application centre to submit your application and give your fingerprints with your valid passport and a single passport sized photo. We can also take a passport photo in office for you for an additional fee. You will sign your completed application form in office and our team will guide you through the process ready for when you arrive at the visa application centre. 
4. The day your visa is ready we will collect it in person and return this to you using Royal Mail Special Delivery, on the same day if possible, so you will have it the next business day before 1pm or hold it at our office for your collection.

You can follow the progress of your order through our online order tracking system which will detail the steps taken and the steps remaining to obtain your visa.

Remember, when you are in Russia, please ensure that you register your visa.

The Russian consulate require that the photograph provided meet the following specifications:

1. It is a clear colour passport type photograph (black and white pictures are not acceptable)
2. No older than six months
3. Taken against a plain white background
4. Printed on photographic paper (camera print)
5. The frame size must be 35mm x 45mm
6. The photo must show full front view of the head, with the face in the middle, and include the top of the shoulders
7. Non-smiling, mouth closed, without sunglasses, hat/ cap or other head covering unless the applicant wears such items because of their religious beliefs or ethnic background

Please see the following guide for more information: Reading a Russian visa

If you’re in need of assistance whilst travelling, we offer a dedicated 24 hour telephone support service.

For all emergencies you can call us on +44 (0) 207 100 7370 where our operators are available to provide help 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

If you are a Real Russia TravelSim user, then calls to our helpline are free for the first three minutes. Click here for more information on the Real Russia TravelSim.

If you experience problems whilst away, our team can offer guidance and support. If for example you have mislaid your passport, you are experiencing difficulty boarding a train or any number of other travel issues, call our emergency helpline for immediate assistance.

We try to give you as much information as we can to help you choose the service you need, though if you still have more questions please feel free to look at the Real Russia Forum, the Frequently Asked Questions section or contact us directly and we will be happy to help.