The Russian e-Visa is an official document issued online by the electronic consular department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. You will need to apply for one from an authorised department before arriving in the country. Beforehand, you will need to fill in an online form on one of the Ministry's pages. If you go through an agency, the process will be simpler and quicker.
When should I apply for an e-Visa for Russia?
If you are planning to travel to Russia, you must apply for your e-Visa between 20 and 4 days before your departure date. You cannot apply for your e-Visa outside this timeframe.
Once you have submitted your application, you will receive your e-Visa within 4 days.
What documents do I need to obtain an e-visa?
To apply for an e-Visa online, you need to fill in a form. To do this, you need to provide the following documents:
- Contact details foraccommodation (no voucher required)
- A passport valid for at least 6 months at the time of application
- A passport photoin any format
- A travel insurance repatriation + medical expenses
- A certificate of residence insurance
- If your stay in Russia exceeds 7 working days, you must register with Russian immigration
To cross the border, you will need to add to this list of documents the e-Visa printed after validation of the application.
The procedure for obtaining your e-Visa
To obtain an e-Visa, you can go through the authorities' website or a private service.
On the government website, you must fill in a 7-page form. Then check the summary to correct any errors. Then tick the boxes and submit your request.
After this stage, a link to download the visa will be sent to you by e-mail. Don't hesitate to download it, as it will be in PDF format. However, if you make any mistakes in the form or if the photo is not suitable, your e-visa application may be refused. The PDF file of the visa you send must be printed in colour. The paper version will then be presented at the border in A4 format.
If you don't want to go through the authorities' website, you can opt for the immigration agency. On their website, you can quickly and easily apply for an e-Visa. Once on the platform, you simply need to follow the various steps.
This e-Visa allows you to enter the country only once for a tourist, business or humanitarian trip, or a visit to relatives, for a duration of 16 days maximum. You must choose the one that corresponds to the purpose of your stay. However, this choice does not affect the procedure for obtaining the e-Visa.
An agency service 