Due to the multiple public holidays over the Christmas and New Year period, you may find that our regular visa service may be disrupted.
Below we have listed opening times for our offices as well as all relevant consulates and visa processing centres. You will also find information on any postal disruptions during this time. Please review this information to ensure that you can obtain your visa or travel service in time for your departure date.
If you have any concerns or questions, please contat us and we will be happy to help. As usual, during the holidays our 24 hour emergency help line will still be available to assist you if you have any issues while travelling.
Please note that all the service information and the dates presented are subject to change and are dependent upon any new local service provider policies or government, mandated restrictions due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Please contact us directly first before you post any paper documents for your visa application.
We will do our best to post all visas collected from the consulates on 23rd and 30th December the same day however we cannot give any guarantee due to an early cut off time for post collection.
| December | January | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Azerbaijan Consulate | 25th – 28th | 31st | 1st | |
| Belarus Consulate | 25th – 28th | 31st | 1st and 7th | |
| Chinese Consulate | 25th | 28th | 1st | |
| Mongolian Consulate | 25th – 28th | 30th | 1st | |
| Russian Consulate | 25th | 31st (from 13:00) | 1st – 10th | |
| Tajikstan Consulate | 25th | 28th | 1st | |
| Turkmenistan Consulate | 12th | 25th – 28th | 1st | |
| Ukrainian Consulate | 25th | 28th | 1st and 7th | |
| Uzbekistan Consulate | 25th | 28th | 1st | |
| Vietnamese Consulate | 25th | 28th | 1st | |
On these dates it will not be possible to lodge applications or collect visas, and they will not count towards visa processing time. Please note that this information is subject to change by the consulates and other authorities.
The table below summarises Russian visa processing times:
| Service type | Last application date |
|---|---|
| The last date applicants can apply for full visa service using standard service to collect their passport at the Russian Visa Centre on 16th December. | 18/11/2020 |
| The last date applicants can apply for full visa service using express service to collect their passport at the Russian Visa Centre on 16th of December. | 11/12/2020 |
| The last date applicants can apply for full visa service using standard service to collect their passport at the Russian Visa Centre on 30th December. | 30/11/2020 |
| The last date applicants can apply for full visa service using express service to collect their passport at the Russian Visa Centre on 30th December. | 23/12/2020 |
Our Check & Prepare service is available on the following days: 28th, 29th and 30th December.
If you are a US passport holder or applying using a TIN letter of invitation then different processing times will apply, please contact us for more information.
Please note that this information is subject to change by the Russian consulate. There will be no visa submissions to the Consulate on the 18th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 25th, 28th, 29th, 30th and 31st December 2020.
We are unable to post applicants` passports on the 18th, 28th, 29th and 31st December 2020. If you have any questions or for further information, please contact our visa team.
During the period of 30th December 2020 to 10th January 2021, no business visa support applications will be accepted, and these days will not count towards the visa processing time.
On the 28th December 2020, any remaining visa support documents should still be issued, however, if you are applying for multiple-entry business visa in London, your visa application can only be submitted to the Russian consulate on or after 11th January 2021 subject to when you can provide your fingerprints.
Please be aware that if you require the original visa support document (not telex) for your application, the courier services from Moscow will be disrupted over this period.
Tourist visa support documents and TIN business invitations will be unaffected during this period and issued as usual.
Please note that for visa registration purposes it will generally not be possible to register visas between 31st December 2020 and 11th January 2021 unless you are staying in a hotel. These dates are not considered working days with regards to registering your visa within 7 working days of arrival.
You should be aware that some local or regional registration offices may open during this period and you should check this on your arrival to avoid any complications. On days that the registration offices are closed, even if our office is open, it will not be possible to send or collect registration documents. But once again, this is not an issue if you arrive during this period as they are not counted as working days.
All opening times are as normal, except for the follwoing:
| December | January |
|---|---|
| 18th, 22nd, 24th, 25th, 28th, 29th, 31st December: closed | 1st-10th: closed |
| 21st, 23rd and 30th December: passport collections only between 17:00 – 17:30 | |
| December | January |
|---|---|
| 31st: closed | 1st – 10th: closed |
| December | January |
|---|---|
| 31st: 5am – 9am | 1st: closed |
| 4th-6th: 6am – 9am | |
| 7th: closed | |
| 8th: 5am – 2pm |
Due to the coronavirus outbreak, this service is not available during the holiday period.
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