Apply for your Russian Tourist visa with expert support

Travellers need to provide a medical certificate to confirm they have tested negative for Covid-19 within 72 hours of arrival in Russia. We are now offering affordable PCR- certified COVID test kits to accompany our visa service through our partner, Rightangled. Please contact our visa team or [click here]  for more information.

A Russian tourist visa is an official document required when travelling to Russia for tourism, leisure or short business trips. They allow for either a single or double visit and are valid for a maximum period of 30 days.

The tourist visa will be issued for the exact dates you request, or as specified on the invitation if you are providing this yourself.

This is the most cost effective visa for short trips and if you know when and where you will be going, otherwise consider a Russian Business visa.

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 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.
• Passport photos.

You do not have to:

• Book a flight (unless you are a French passport holder).
• Book a hotel (exceptions apply for high-risk nationalities).
• Provide your own “Letter of Invitation”.

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:

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: 17 July 2022.

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 15.30 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.

You are required to provide your biometric data (fingerprints) when applying for a Russian visa. 

See our Russian biometrics page for more information on how the Russian visa biometric process works and 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.

Please note: Our London Office is closed until further notice due to the national UK restrictions in place from 5th November. Our team will continue to support our clients via email on visas@realrussia.co.uk or via phone on +44 (0) 207 100 4981. Currently, all visits to our offices are by appointment only.

Due to the second national lockdown in England, please contact us directly first before you post any paper documents for your visa application.

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.

You do not need worry about passport photos, we will take these for you in our office when obtaining your application pack to ensure they comply with the Russian Consulate guidelines.

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 4981 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 Russian Forum, the Frequently Asked Questions section or contact us directly and we will be happy to help.