E-visas for Saint Petersburg and the Leningrad region
Since October 1, 2019 citizens of some foreign countries may arrange through a special website of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs http://electronic-visa.kdmid.ru/ single-entry Business, Humanitarian and Tourist Visas in the form of an electronic document (electronic visa, e-visa) to visit the city of Saint Petersburg and the territory of the Leningrad region.
Nationals of the following countries may obtain an e-visa to visit the city of Saint Petersburg and the territory of the Leningrad region:
1. Andorra
2. Austria
3. Bahrain
4. Belgium
5. Bulgaria
6. China (including Taiwan)
7. Croatia
8. Cyprus
9. the Czech Republiek
10. Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
11. Denmark
12. Estonia
13. Finland
14. France
15. Germany
16. Greece
17. Hungary
18. Iceland
19. India
20. Indonesia
21. Iran
22. Ireland
23. Italy
24. Japan
25. Kuwait
26. Latvia
27. Liechtenstein
28. Lithuania
29. Luxembourg
30. Malaysia
31. Malta
32. Mexico
33. Monaco
34. the Netherlands
35. North Macedonia
36. Norway
37. Oman
38. the Philippines
39. Poland
40. Portugal
41. Qatar
42. Romania
43. San Marino
44. Saudi Arabia
45. Serbia
46. Singapore
47. Slovakia
48. Slovenia
49. Spain
50. Sweden
51. Switzerland
52. Turkey
53. Vatican.
An e-visa will be issued free of charge after a foreign national submits an application, filled out electronically on the special Russian MFA website http://electronic-visa.kdmid.ru/ no later than 4 calendar days before the planned visit, together with a digital photo attached as an electronic file.
E-visas will be issued for a period of 30 days from the date of issuance and will be valid for a stay of 8 days from the date of entry.
E-visas for visiting the city of Saint Petersburg and the territory of the Leningrad region are valid when entering into and exiting from the Russian Federation only through the following State Border crossing points on the territory of Saint Petersburg and the Leningrad region:
1. Air crossing point " Saint Petersburg (Pulkovo) ";
2. Sea crossing points "Vysotsk", "Big port of Saint Petersburg (Marine station section) ", "Passenger port Saint Petersburg";
3. Automobile crossing points "Ivangorod", "Torfyanovka", "Brusnitchnoe", "Svetogorsk";
4. Pedestrian crossing points "Ivangorod".
PLEASE NOTE: Entry to and exit from the territory of Saint Petersburg and the Leningrad region on an e-visa by means of rail transport is currently unavailable.
With an e-visa for the city of Saint Petersburg and the territory of the Leningrad region foreign nationals may stay and travel only within the territory of Saint Petersburg and the Leningrad region.
Transport companies can check whether a foreign national has been granted a valid e-visa on a special Russian MFA website https://evisacheck.kdmid.ru/. Additional information on the verification process can be found in Russian and English on the same website.
Foreign citizens are personally responsible for the accuracy of their personal data provided by them when applying for an e-visa, including the spelling of their last name and first name(s) in exact (literal) accordance with the passport. In case of complete or partial mismatch of these data with the data in the passport (citizenship, last name, first name(s), date of birth, gender, passport number), or the provision of non-personal photographs, they will be denied entry to the Russian Federation at the checkpoint of the State Border of the Russian Federation, and their e-visas issued on the basis of false information will be canceled. The only exceptions are cases when the names of a foreign citizen contain more symbols than is accepted by the application form for an e-visa.
VERY IMPORTANT ABOUT E-VISAS:
Electronic visas for visiting certain regions of the Russian Federation:
agent services and common mistakes
We are closely monitoring the situation around electronic visas for visiting certain regions of the Russian Federation. Recently, we have been noticing more and more publications about various travel agencies and questionable intermediaries that provide services in connection with electronic visas. The cost of such services is quite significant varying from 15 to 40 euro. Of course, everyone has the right to spend their savings at their own discretion, but we would like to note that electronic visas for visiting certain regions of Russia are issued free of charge and exclusively via the specialized website of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: evisa.kdmid.ru. In order to get an electronic visa, you do not need invitations, confirmation of hotel reservations or any other documents confirming the purpose of your visit to the Russian Federation.
The processing time for an electronic visa application is no longer than 4 calendar days from the date of its submission. Therefore, any promises from intermediary organisations to expedite the consideration of the application and get an “urgent visa”, especially for an extra fee, have no grounds. In addition, the intermediary applying for an electronic visa for someone else is also not immune to making mistakes in the application, which may result in denying the foreign traveler entry through the Russian border.
It should also be remembered that even a correctly issued electronic visa, as well as a paper visa, does not guarantee entry into the Russian Federation. The final decision on the entry of a foreign citizen is made at the state border crossing point, which is in conformity with international practices. We recommend having all necessary documents, such as invitations proving the purpose of visit, accommodation information, return tickets, medical insurance, with you when going through passport control.
There are lots of comments in the media about difficulties in crossing the state border, deportation from Russia of foreign citizens caused by mistakes in electronic visas or violation of the period of stay. A careful analysis in most cases points to one circumstance – common carelessness as well as ignorance of the instruction to applying for an electronic visa. The instruction provides a detailed explanation with examples on the correct filling in of one’s surname and first name, including how to type in letters with diacritics, and other personal data. A significant section of the instruction is devoted to the correct calculation of the length of stay and date of departure of a foreigner from Russia in order to avoid an administrative offence for the violation of Russian migration law.
In conclusion, we would like to note that an electronic visa is issued on the basis of a personal application of a foreign citizen, and not those of intermediary structures. The pleasure of travelling to Russia largely depends on the correct filling out of the application.
Attention !!! In order to avois problems on the Russian Border, please, read very attentively this Information from the Russian MFA about e-visas and the files Documents details, Personal details and Summary.
