Russian visa for Swedish citizens
Travel to Russia is a unique experience, and if you decided to visit this amazing country, you’ll live a lot of great moments there! First of all, you must be asking yourself:
Do Swedish citizens need a visa to enter Russia?
Yes, they do.
But if visa application seems too complicated and boring to you, we are here to dispel your fears and guide you through the entire process. In the article you’ll find simple step-by-step instructions on how to obtain your Russian visa, as well as lots of useful tips and links. Let’s do it together!
Step 1. Select convenient travel dates, and choose appropriate visa type
Before your forthcoming trip, you should know the approximate travel dates. No need to buy tickets or pay for your hotel prior to getting your visa, but it’s essential to decide on the dates of your travel, and duration of trip. Depending on that, and your main travel purposes, you’ll be able to choose the suitable visa type. See below the main types which exist.
Overview of Russia visas:
| Visa types | Period of stay | Travel purpose |
| Tourist visa | 30 days | tourism and leisure |
| Private visa | 90 days | private guest visits. Not recommendable: see why here |
| Business visa | 30 -90 days (a visa can be valid for up to 5 years) | conducting business in Russia, looking for partners, negotiating, investing etc. |
| Transit visa | 3 -10 days | crossing Russian territory on your way to another country |
| Student visa | 90 days and above | studying a course in a Russian school or university |
| Work visa | 90 days and above | working under contract for a Russian employer |
| Electronic visa | 8 days | short tourist, business or humanitarian visits |
Russian Tourist visa for Swedish citizens
Duration of visit: max 30 days.
Number of entries: single, double
Purpose of traveling:
- Visiting places of tourist attraction
- Attending health and sports resorts
- Going to festivals, concerts, exhibitions and other cultural events
- Exploring Russia on a trans-siberian railway tour
- Driving/cycling/hiking through the country
- Coming for short medical examinations, consultations (Aim tourism)
- Attending brief business events (Aim tourism)
- Traveling to Russian ports on cruise liners (if you go as part of organized group, you can stay up to 72 hours visa-free)
Inviting party: A registered Russian travel agency.
Russian Private Visa for Swedish citizens
Duration of visit: up to 90 day
Number of entries: single, double
Purpose of traveling:
- Visiting your Russian relatives and friends
Inviting party – Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs Department of Migration upon request of the Russian host
Russian Business and Humanitarian visa for Swedish citizens
Duration of visit: no longer than 90 days out of 180. A visa can be issued from 1 month to 5 years
Number of entries: single, double, multiple
Purpose of traveling:
- Carrying out negotiations with Russian partners
- Attending business meetings, fairs, exhibitions and other events
- Signing contracts, agreements, purchasing goods and services for business
- Giving trainings, doing maintenance support work (Technical Maintenance sub-purpose)
- Carrying out short-term commercial activities (Commercial sub-purpose)
- Going as part of airplane or railway crew (Crew members sub-purpose)
- Attending cultural, sports, political, religious, charity events (Humanitarian type)
Inviting party: Either of these
- Russian organization (in the form of written statement)
- Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russian upon petition by the Russian host company (in the form of electronic encoded invitation)
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia upon petition by the Russian host company (in the form of Telex)
Russian Student Visa for Swedish citizens
Duration of visit:
90 days and beyond, depending on the duration of study course. A visa is issued for 90 days and can be extended by the educational establishment on the territory of Russia.
Number of entries: single, multiple
Purpose of traveling:
- Studying at a Russian educational institution
Inviting party: Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russian upon petition of a Russian educational institution.
Russian Work visa for Swedish citizens
Duration of visit
90 days and beyond, as described in the employment contract. A visa can be issued for 90 days or for 3 years for Highly Qualified Experts. Both can be prolonged on the territory of Russia.
Number of entries: single, multiple
Purpose of traveling:
- Paid work for a Russian hiring company
Inviting party: Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia upon petition of the Russian employing company
Russian Transit Visa for Swedish citizens
Duration of visit: for air connections up to 3 days, for crossing Russia by road, railroad – up to 10 days
Number of entries: single
Reasons for traveling:
- Crossing Russian borders following to another country of destination
Inviting party: No invitations necessary. The basis for visa application will be your entry and exit tickets.
Important: Travelers making connections without the need to leave international area and go through passport control do not need visas. Please check with your airlines whether you require transit visa to make your connection.
Important: Passengers following to Belarus or Kazakhstan with connection in Russia require transit visa
Russian E-Visa for Swedish citizens
Duration of visit: 8 days out of 30 days
Number of entries: Single
Purpose of traveling:
- Visiting Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Region, or The Far East and Vladivostok, or Kaliningrad and Kaliningrad Region for purpose of tourism and leisure
Inviting party: No invitation required for E-visa.
Step 2. Collect the list of required documents for Russian visa
The standard documents you’ll need to apply include
- National original passport with minimum 2 blank visa pages, and validity of at least 6 months beyond exit date from Russia
- Invitation from Russia. Read on the inviting authorities you need to get your invitation from, in types of visa described above.
We’ll help you to:
Get your tourist invitation here in 10 min: Get tourist invitation letter
Get your business invitation here in 1 to 20 working days: Get business invitation letter
- Filled application form.
For regular visas find the form at visa.kdmid.ru, complete it, print it on both sides, sign, and date.
For E-visa, request professional help with filling the form here: http://visando.com/apply-evisa
E-visa applications must be filled not later than 4 days before your trip
- Color photo 3.5 x 4.5 made recently not earlier than 6 months, on white background, without shades, head gear or coverings. Read more on visa photo specifications here: https://visando.com/russian-visa-photo-specifications/ Glue the photo into the marked field in the visa form, don’t use stampler or adhesive tape.
- Travel insurance policy for the whole period of your stay, and valid on the territory of the Russian Federation. The policy can be in English or Russian, and contain details of the insured person and insuring organization, as well as its individual number.
- For Work and Student visa for stay longer than 90 days, you’ll also need an HIV-negative medical certificate, issued not earlier than 3 months before application. Should be submitted in original
- For Transit visa you’ll need copies of entry and exit tickets.
Step 3. Apply for your visa and pay visa fees.
Citizens of Sweden can apply for Russian visa not earlier than 3 months before their travel date in either of these places:
- The Russian Consulate in Stockholm or Gothenburg. Apply in person upon prior appointment booked at http://gothenburg.kdmid.ru/
- Official Russian Visa center Interlink Service in Stockholm or Gothenburg (Recommended). Apply in person or via post. To apply by post pack documents into an envelope and include an empty envelope with return address. Send it to
| POSTAL ADDRESS in Stockholm: | POSTAL ADDRESS in Gothenburg: |
| Russian visa application centerInterlink ServiceKlara Östra kyrkogata 2A,111 52 Stockholm, Sweden | Russian visa application centerInterlink ServiceFriggagatan 12B,411 12 Göteborg, Sweden |
If you choose to apply directly at the consulate you’ll need to pay the consular fee (at the consulate by credit card only), which amounts to
| Type/ Number of visits | Regular processing(4-20 working days) | Urgent(3 or less days) |
| Single entry | 760 SEK | 1520 SEK |
| Double entry | 1216 SEK | 2432 SEK |
| Multiple entry | 2280 SEK | 4560 SEK |
Important! Urgent processing is available only in exceptional cases, with enough ground to request it. Note, that plane tickets and invitations do not suffice as the reason for expedited processing
If you choose to apply through the visa center, you will also need to pay the service fee depending on the visa type you are applying for.
In case you apply by post you’ll need to pay for postal services
If you choose to apply through the visa center, the fee will include the service fee and amount to 450 SEK.
To order return of your passport back, you can order delivery:
By registered mail: 200 SEK (for 1 passport);
By courier service: 350 SEK (for 1 passport)
Please note, if you apply by post the processing of your documents will start only after they arrive at the Visa center.
To find contacts of consulates and visa centers, see here: Russian consulates and embassies
Step 4. Get your passport back and check your visa details
After you wait the stipulated period of time, you either return to the consulate or visa center to pick up your passport, or wait for delivery if you ordered it at the Visa center.
Attentively check your visa, especially validity period and number of entries. It should look like this:
Everything is okay? Then pack your suitcases and have a nice trip! Don’t forget to carry your passport, invitation, hotel bookings and insurance policy.
Step 5. Documents to obtain while in Russia
Make sure you get these two documents when you arrive:
- Migration card
- Registration
Migration card is given free of charge by employees of transport companies like flight attendants, or migration officers at the airport. You are required to fill it in English or Russian with details like dates of your trip, inviting company, and place of intended stay. Carry along in your passport during your stay in Russia. You’ll need to return it when leaving the country.
If you lose it, contact the local migration service within 3 working days and you’ll be given a copy.
The second document is necessary to prove your legal stay in Russia, and should be obtained within 7 business days after your arrival. If you are staying in a hotel, the management will take charge of it.
If you are staying with your friends or relatives, or book an apartment via airbnb, you’ll need to contact the owner of the apartament and ask to get you registered at the local post or police office
I hope my article helped you understand the entire process of getting your visa to Russia.
If you still have some questions or doubts, write to our email and get a free consultation
Wishing you the great travel experiences in Russia!
