FAQ

You have two options to apply for a Russian Visa:

1. Make an appointment via online appointment system to apply directly in the Consular section of the Russian Embassy, OR

2. Make an appointment in the Russian Visa Centre in the Hague or apply in the Visa Centre without an appointment.

Regardless of where you apply for a visa, visas are issued by the Russian consulate in The Hague.

All Russian visa application forms must be filled in on the special web-site of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs http://visa.kdmid.ru. All visa application forms are to be submitted in a printed form, with one recent photo of an applicant (glued on it) and his personal signature.

Yes, there is one very important requirement. First you need to make an appointment, second – fill in a visa application form. If you managed to make an appointment in the Russian consulate – the «Embassy of the Russian Federation in Netherlands» must be chosen as a place to apply for a visa (you will be asked about this while filling in the form). If you have made an appointment in the Russian Visa Centre – only «VFS» must be chosen as a place where you apply for a visa.

If an applicant has made an appointment in the Russian consulate but has indicated «VFS» as a place where he applies for a visa, the documents will not be accepted in the Russian consulate. He will have to apply for a visa in the Russian Visa Centre.

For the applications in the Russian consulate. A foreign citizen or a stateless person (who does not have the Russian citizenship) must be present in the Consular section in person. Applications on behalf of a third person (even if it is a family member) are not accepted. Booking one time slot in the appointment system allows for submitting only one set of visa documents.

For the applications in the Russian visa centre in the Hague VFS. A foreign citizen or a stateless person (who does not have the Russian citizenship) may apply to the Visa centre or by him(her)self or empower a third person for this mission. To apply for a visa on behalf of the passport holder a hand-written (on the copy of the passport) power of attorney from the latter will be required.

One appointment time is made for one applicant with one set of documents for one person or for several close relatives.

Visa agents or other mediators who are not close relatives of applicants, must apply exclusively in the Russian Visa Centre «VFS.Global» in the Hague.

This provision also concerns teachers of professors who intend to apply the visa applications with a group of students.

No. According to the law of the Russian Federation, you cannot have two valid Russian visas in your passport(s).

If you have a valid visa in your passport (for example, an unused single or double-entry visa, which you used to enter the country only once, or an unused multiple-entry visa) but you need to apply for another kind of a Russian visa, the existing visa will be cancelled. Example: you acting Russian visa is valid until the 1 of May, you have already used 90 possible days of stay in Russia but you need to go to Russia in April. So, you apply for a new visa, the previous visa will be cancelled, and a new visa is given.

All the information about visas and necessary documents can be found on the website of the Embassy of the Russian Federation (link) or on the web-site of the Russian visa centre «VFS» in the Hague (link).

You should provide a medical insurance policy to obtain a visa for the Russian Federation.

The insurance must be valid throughout the territory of Russia (or Worldwide) for the full visa period. For multiple-entry visa applications you are required to present the insurance policy for your first trip.

Insurance cards (or their copies) are not accepted.

If you are covered by a Company insurance, a signed letter from the Head of the Company clearly confirming the validity of the insurance in Russia for the entire duration of the journey would be enough.

The original of HIV test Certificate is required only from highly-skilled specialists and their accompanying persons who apply for multiple-entry work visas for the period more than 3 months on the basis of an official invitation from the Ministry of Interior (MVD) of the Russian Federation. HIV Test (AIDS) Certificate should be signed by a doctor and by the applicant, stamped by a medical organization. HIV tests Certificates without signatures and stamp are not accepted.



Those who apply for 3 months work or study single-entry or double-entry visas are not requested to provide the HIV test Certificate.

A visa to enter the Russian Federation is not required for citizens of the countries that have bilateral agreements with Russia on the cancellation or simplification of a visa regime. The visa regime of Russia with a specific state may be checked on the web-site of the Russian Embassy located in this country.

Non-EU citizens may apply for a Russian visa only on the basis of a tourist invitation, on the invitation issued by the Ministry of Interior of the Russian Federation or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (unless otherwise is agreed by international treaty of Russian Federation), on the invitation for the close relatives (spouses and minor children) of Russian citizens for a joint entry to Russia.

Non-EU citizens in order to be able to apply for a Russian visa in the Netherlands must have an EU country residence permit.

Stateless persons may apply for a visa only in person and only if they have residence permits in the Netherlands. The return tickets will be required.

A single or a double entry tourist visa if given only for 30 days of stay in Russia. There are some exceptions – citizens of Austria, Greece, Hungary, Spain, Japan may apply for a 6 months multiple-entry tourist visas (with an authorized stay of 90 days during one trip or in total for the whole period of 6 months). Citizens of India  may apply for a 6 months multiple-entry tourist visas (each stay not more than 30 days). The USA citizens may apply for a 3 year multiple-entry tourist visas (with an authorized stay of 90 days during one trip or in total per each period of 180 days).

If the connecting flight is within the transit zone up to 24 hours and you will not change terminals, then a transit visa is not required and will not be given for you. If you want to make a sightseeing, you need to apply for a standard tourist visa for 1 day.

You will need a transit visa if you stay more than 24 hours in a transit zone or if you need to leave the airport to change your mean of transport (a plane from another airport, a train and so on).

Prior to purchasing tickets, we recommend you to check with your carrier if a transit visa is required for your itinerary.

Foreign citizens who go through the Russian territory to the countries of the Customs Union (Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan), in accordance with the law of the Russian Federation, are obliged to obtain the Russian transit visa if they are not citizens of countries eligible for visa-free entry to Russia in accordance with current bilateral agreements.

Being a transit passenger in Russia and making a tour by vehicle are different things.

Transiting means crossing through the Russian territory to go to your final destination point outside of Russia by the quickest route, for example, when a different way to get the country of destination is not possible or it will take longer time.

The visa issuance time is granted on covering 500 km/day on the quickest route through Russia. (You should provide your itinerary in a map).

Making a tour by vehicle is considered as common or car tourism. In such case you should provide a confirmation from hotel(s) or from a registered travel agency, accredited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which would include your travel itinerary, and places of stay along the way. In this case, your purpose of travel would be "auto-tourism".

Documents of the car registration and insurance are not required to obtain a visa. But they would be required upon crossing the border and during your journey.

In cases related to humanitarian or health reasons (need of urgent treatment, serious illness or death of a close relative in Russia) the visa can be issued the same day if the applicant has required documents and comes in a person to the Consular section od the Russian Embassy. 

If the urgency of the trip to Russia is proved by the supporting documents submitted by the applicant (e.g. proof of important unexpected visit, etc. of the inviting Russian organization) the visa can be issued within 3 working days.

The normal procedure takes 7 calendar days (for single entry or double entry visas), 10 calendar days for multiple-entry visas. For tourist visas - 5-6 working days. If you apply for your visa in the Visa Centre – the day you submit the documents is added to the above mentioned period of your visa procedure. If you apply to a third organization (e.g. a visa agency), the procedure takes more time as the agency needs to introduce your documents to the Russian Visa Centre.

Important ! Please note that the applicant’s flight ticket is not accepted as a proof of the urgency of the trip. 

The visa fee for the citizens of the EU-member states coming within the Russia-EU Facilitation Agreement in this case is 70 Euros. 

The visa fees for the citizens of other countries may differ. The pricelist is available on the web-site of the Russian Embassy and on the web-site of the Russian Visa Centre.

First, you can check the update of the online visa appointment system of the Consular section. Quite often, applicants change the dates of application or cancel their appointments.

The second way is to apply without an appointment in a person in the Russian Visa Centre «VFS.Global» in the Hague, located: 2nd floor, Parkstraat 99, 2514 JH. The Hague, Netherlands.

In cases related to humanitarian or health reasons (need of urgent treatment, serious illness or death of a close relative in Russia) the emergency visa can be issued the same day if the applicant provides all the required documents (marriage certificate, birth certificate ect.) and comes in a person to the Consular section of the Russian Embassy. 

If the urgency of the business trip to Russia is proved by the supporting documents submitted by the applicant (e.g. proof of important unexpected visit, etc. of the inviting Russian organization) the visa can be issued within 3 working days. The documents are to be submitted prior to an appointment in the Consular section or to the Russian Visa Centre in the Hague.

 Important !  Please note that the applicant’s flight ticket is not accepted as a proof of the urgency of the trip.

Tourist visas cannot be issued in 1 working day.

The visa fee for the citizens of the EU-member states coming within the Russia-EU Facilitation Agreement in this case is 70 Euros. 

The visa fees for the citizens of other countries may differ. The pricelist is available on the web-site of the Russian Embassy and on the web-site of the Russian Visa Centre.

According to the law of the Russian Federation, cruise or ferry passengers are the only category of tourists visiting Russia who are allowed to stay on the territory of the Russian Federation without visa for up to 72 hours.

Cruise ship passengers have the right to visit Russia (for example, St. Petersburg) for up to 72 hours without a Russian visa, under the following conditions:

- you need to have a valid travel passport (ID cards are not accepted);

- you have to stay in a night on the ship;

- the list of visa-free passengers of the ship is to be sent by the captain of the ship to the Russian port authorities not later than 72 hours before the ship enters the Russian port. You need to be included in that list;

- you have to be accompanied on land at all times by a licensed tour guide (with a specific state license for accompanying cruise passengers without visas);

- the territory you may visit in the city is determined by the tourist program (to be asked from your tour guide).

If you would like to have greater freedom to explore the city under your own steam, it is worth getting a Russian tourist visa before you set out on your cruise. In order to do this, you can either book accommodation in Russia.  

Essentials to Remember

This visa free exception applies, only to persons who travel within an organized group and do not intend to explore the cities on their own. Cruise passengers are free to use any authorized local travel agencies (not only cruise ship tour companies) for visa-free shore tours.

We recommend that you check information on organized cruise tours and visas with your cruise company in advance.

Russia's port cities where travelers won't need a visa for up to three days are:

St Petersburg 

Anadyr
Kaliningrad
Vladivostok
Sochi
Vyborg
Korsakov
Novorossiysk 

The following categories of foreign citizens may apply for a visa directly to the Consular section of the Russian Embassy in the Netherlands, without an appointment:

1. Employees of ministries and other governmental bodies of the Kingdom of the Netherlands – for official trips (documents are to be submitted by applicants themselves or by the official courier of a ministry or other departments);

2. Holders of diplomatic or service passports of diplomatic or consular missions of foreign countries accredited to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, as well as employees of international organizations with the headquarters in the Netherlands – for official trips (documents are to be submitted by applicants themselves or by the official courier of a diplomatic or consular mission or an international organization);

3. Guests of stuff members of diplomatic or consular missions of the Netherlands accredited in the Russian Federation;

4. Foreign citizens in case of urgent departure to the Russian Federation linked with the death or serious illness of a close relative.

In order to get a 5 year multiple-entry visa for the Russian Federation you need to have a previous 4 year multiple-entry Russian visa.

According to the applied in the Russian Federation rules about the period of a visa validity please, note that:

• if you did not have any trip to Russia with any kind of a Russian visa over the last 12 months, the first visa you may get is a single- or double entry visa for max. 90 days;
• if you had in your passport a single- or double entry visa for 90 days and you used it (a copy of the visa is required), you may apply for a 1 year multiple-entry Russian visa;
• if you had two Russian visas, 1 year each, given one right after another (a copy of the visa is required), you may apply for a 2 year multiple-entry Russian visa;
• if you had a 2 year multiple-entry Russian visa (a copy of the visa is required), you may apply for a 3 year multiple-entry Russian visa;
• if you had a 3 year multiple-entry Russian visa (a copy of the visa is required), you may apply for a 4 year multiple-entry Russian visa;
• if you had a 4 year multiple-entry Russian visa (a copy of the visa is required), you may apply for a 5 year multiple-entry Russian visa.

Every time you apply for a multiple-entry visa for the Russian Federation the decision about the length of the visa is taken by the Russian consulate Visa officer. No claims are accepted.

If you manage to get an appointment to submit your documents directly in the Russian consulate we highly recommend you to apply in the Consular section of the Russian Embassy. From the financial point of view this is the best way as you pay only for the visa.

If there are no available appointments in the Consular section, you may apply personally to the Russian Visa Application Centre (RVAC) in the Hague (prior to an appointment OR without an appointment). Additional RVAC fee for the processing of the documents is to be paid (30 euros for one visa file). In this case all the RVAC is responsible for your visa, and all the information about your visa you need to get from this organization. If you apply in the RVAC, the visas are anyway given (printed) by the Russian Consulate.

If you don’t wish or don’t have time to come to the Hague to apply for your Russian visa in the Russian Consulate nor in the Russian visa centre you may apply in any visa agency of your choice. Please note ! Visa agencies have to submit all visa files only to the Russian Visa Application Centre. In this case you pay the following fees: a processing fee of a visa agency, a processing fee of the RVAC (30 euros per file) and a fee of the Russian Consulate for the visa.

The Russian consulate highly recommends you to get business invitations only from your Russian inviting organisation. The preparation of the invitation takes small time: to fill in the form (specimen), sign it with the head of the company or with one of his adjoins and make an official stamp of the company. Invitations may be sent to foreign guests by fax or scanned by e-mail (the original is not required). Please, note ! Russian ministries or other internal official Russian bodies are not involved in this procedure and don’t have to give their approval.

According to current Russian legislation, entry to the Russian Federation of foreign citizens and stateless persons holding a cancelled passport with a valid Russian visa and a new passport without such a visa is not allowed.

In such cases foreign citizens or stateless persons are to refer to the Russian consulate that has given the visa prior to their planned trip to Russia in order to transfer the valid Russian visa from the cancelled passport to the new one.

Unfortunately, this issue in not in the competence of the Russian consulate in The Netherlands. We are not able to provide you the information and not able to guide you.

We recommend to contact the Russian Customs Service directly (by e-mail fts_gr@ca.customs.ru) and ask about the existing rules.

The second solution we propose is to open the English version of the Web-site of the Russian airport of your entry and contact the appropriate service.

Good luck.

The visa procedure that is underway in the Russian consulate may be cancelled (stopped) by the applicant. For that the candidate for a visa has to apply with a written statement to the organisation where he has submitted his/her visa documents. All paid fees in that case are not refundable. But pay attention that the passport without a visa will be returned to its holder not earlier than after 2-3 working days. 

Tourist trips to Russia by EU citizens is completely different from the same trips to France, Italy, Greece or Spain. Russia is a visa country for the EU citizens that is why the normal (usual) procedure (book a hotel, buy a plane ticket) doesn’t work.

If you want to go to Russia as a tourist, you may not book the hotel by yourself. So, standard booking web-sites as www.booking.com or similar may not be used to book hotels in Russia. In order to get a Russian tourist visa, you will be required to provide a tourist confirmation document that is issued only by a Russian tourist agency that is supposed to find for you a hotel that suits to your budget and responds your expectations. The hotels (97% of them) are not authorized to issue this document. They may be authorized to issue the tourist confirmation documents if they are themselves registered as a tourist agency.

You have to find such an agency by yourself in the Internet. And one more important thing – when the agency is found, you need to first ask there about the reference (registration) number that is valid in the visa system of the Russian Foreign Ministry. We recommend you to continue the contacts with that agency only in case they have such a number. The validity of the reference number is checked automatically by our visa system. If the number is not valid, the Russian consulate will not be able to print the visa.

The Russian consulate accepts copies/scans of tourist confirmation documents with a signature of an officer of that tourist agency and a stamp. The original is not required.

Yes, it is possible. If the prupose of your trip is business, tourist or humanitarian, you can get such a visa for the City of Saint Petersburg and the Leningrad region, as well as for the Kaliningrad region.