How to get an official visa for travel to Russia

Russian visa

All foreign visitors need a travel visa to enter Russia. You can apply for a visa through the Russian embassies in your home country (in China there are consulates in the cities of Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Shenyang). But first you will need to secure an official invitation for visiting Russia.

Russian visa

All foreign visitors need a travel visa to enter Russia. You can apply for a visa through the Russian embassies in your home country (in China there are consulates in the cities of Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Shenyang). But first you will need to secure an official invitation for visiting Russia.

Travel visa to enter Russia

When a Russian consulate issues you a visa it will come in the form of a stamp that is inserted into your passport. This visa stamp will contain:

the date on which your visa was issued, with a special visa serial number;
personal information from your passport, including your name (listed in both Russian and English), your citizenship, sex, and passport number;
the dates for which your visa will be valid;
whether your visa allows only one-entry or multiple entries into Russia;
the purpose of your visit (i.e., tourism, business, etc.);
the name of the organization or company that issued your official invitation;
the serial number of your official invitation as pre-approved by the Russian Federal Immigration Service.

Travel visa to enter Russia

When a Russian consulate issues you a visa it will come in the form of a stamp that is inserted into your passport. This visa stamp will contain:

the date on which your visa was issued, with a special visa serial number;
personal information from your passport, including your name (listed in both Russian and English), your citizenship, sex, and passport number;
the dates for which your visa will be valid;
whether your visa allows only one-entry or multiple entries into Russia;
the purpose of your visit (i.e., tourism, business, etc.);
the name of the organization or company that issued your official invitation;
the serial number of your official invitation as pre-approved by the Russian Federal Immigration Service.

Invitation to Russia

Tour operators and other companies in Russia can issue an official invitation for you to apply for a visa. The format of the invitation can vary, but it must contain the following data to be valid:

information on the company issuing the invitation (it's full name, physical address, and official reference number);
your full name and citizenship, as well as other information from your passport;
the dates that you plan to enter and then depart Russia;
the name of the hotel or other destination where you as the tourist will be staying while you are in Russia;
the places in Russia which you plan to visit, with a list of every city on your itinerary.

Invitation to Russia

Tour operators and other companies in Russia can issue an official invitation for you to apply for a visa. The format of the invitation can vary, but it must contain the following data to be valid:

information on the company issuing the invitation (it's full name, physical address, and official reference number);
your full name and citizenship, as well as other information from your passport;
the dates that you plan to enter and then depart Russia;
the name of the hotel or other destination where you as the tourist will be staying while you are in Russia;
the places in Russia which you plan to visit, with a list of every city on your itinerary.

The actual official invitation will consist of two sections—one of them will be a so-called tourist voucher, and the other will be a written assurance from the tour operator to officially host you as a tourist. To apply for a visa at a Russian embassy you normally only need to present a print-out or photo-copy of the official invitation. But in some cases the consulate staff may require you to present the original invitation, along with a copy of your round-trip ticket to Russia, a valid travel insurance policy, and confirmation that you have a hotel reservation at your destination in Russia.

There is no guarantee that the Russian consular officers will grant you a visa, especially if you had visited Russia before, and had violated any Russian laws, been fined, or gotten deported. But for the most part, if you present all the correct documentation with your application, you should have no trouble in receiving a visa to visit us here in Siberia.

* Note: there is an application fee that the Russian consulate will charge for your visa. The amount of the fee varies from country to country. At present the fee to apply from China is some 320RMB for a single-entry visa. In addition, your tour operator/host may charge you a fee for your official invitation.

The actual official invitation will consist of two sections—one of them will be a so-called tourist voucher, and the other will be a written assurance from the tour operator to officially host you as a tourist. To apply for a visa at a Russian embassy you normally only need to present a print-out or photo-copy of the official invitation. But in some cases the consulate staff may require you to present the original invitation, along with a copy of your round-trip ticket to Russia, a valid travel insurance policy, and confirmation that you have a hotel reservation at your destination in Russia.

There is no guarantee that the Russian consular officers will grant you a visa, especially if you had visited Russia before, and had violated any Russian laws, been fined, or gotten deported. But for the most part, if you present all the correct documentation with your application, you should have no trouble in receiving a visa to visit us here in Siberia.

* Note: there is an application fee that the Russian consulate will charge for your visa. The amount of the fee varies from country to country. At present the fee to apply from China is some 320RMB for a single-entry visa. In addition, your tour operator/host may charge you a fee for your official invitation.