Private visa to Russia for foreign travelers
If you want to pay a visit to your friends or relatives residing in Russia, you probably are thinking of such visa type as Private visa. In this article we’ll describe the process of getting a private visa, and offer you some alternatives which also allow to come to Russia to meet your family.
General description of Russian private visa
| Duration of stay | 90 days. US citizens can apply for 3 years visa but stay only 90 days out of every 180 |
| Number of entries | Single or double meaning you can enter one once or twice during the validity of your visa. For US citizens multiple entry is allowed |
| Purpose of trip | Visiting relatives and friends in Russia |
| Basis for visa | Official invitation issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia (MIA) upon request of the Russian host. |
| Preparation time | 20 working days to get the invitation + 4-20 days to get the visa |
Private visa is a stamp in your passport, which looks like this:
How to get a private visa
You can start the application process not earlier than 3 months prior to your trip. Like all other Russian visas, it’s applied for at the Russian Consulate in your country of residence, or an authorized Russian visa center. The documents you’ll need to apply for a private visa include:
- Original passport which will be valid at least 6 more months beyond the expiration date of the Russian visa you are applying for
- Official invitation from Russia supplied by the MIA of Russia following a request of a Russian citizen or permanent resident. Invitations are issued within 20 working days in e-format and can be presented in a photocopy. Read further details on how to get it below
- Completed online visa application form. Find it at visa.kdmid.ru and complete in English or Russian. After which, print out on both sides of the paper, sign and date. Glue your recent color photo into the marked field in the form. See photo requirements here: Russian visa photo specifications
- Medical insurance policy valid on the territory of Russia for the entire duration of your stay. It should contain details of the insuring company and insured person, be signed, stamped and dated and have its individual number. The insurance sum should be no less than 30.000 EUR.
Note, that the Consular officer might request additional documents such as financial statements or proof of your family ties with the Russian relatives.
How to obtain a private invitation to Russia
The most important document, which serves as a basis for your visa application is the invitation from Russia. We have mentioned already that it’s issued by the MIA of Russia upon request of a Russian citizen or permanent resident. To get this documents your Russian host should collect the following documents to submit them to the local office of migration service:
- Application for the invitation in 2 copies
- Copy of passport of the foreign guest who is being invited
- A letter of guarantee from the Russian host, undertaking responsibilities for the financial, medical and accommodation support during the stay of a foreign guest in Russia
- Income statement proving the Russian host has enough to financially provide the stay of his guest in Russia. It is presented in the form of income tax statement (2-НДФЛ, 3-НДФЛ)
- Receipt of the payment of state fee of 800 rubles
The following documents can be applied either in person at the local migration service department (part of MIA of Russia), or through a virtual portal gosuslugi.ru
The processing of the invitation takes 20 working days. The invitation is issued in either paper or e-format. It contains the information on the issuing organ, the identification number, the barcode in case with e-format, data of the inviting person and the invited guest. See a sample below
Apart from private individuals, a legal body can also apply for a private invitation for a foreign guest to Russia.
Private visa vs Tourist visa
If the process of a private visa seems complicated and time-consuming (which it is), we can offer you several alternatives. For short trips you can use a Tourist visa, for longer stay you can have a Business visa, instead. Check out the comparative tables below:
| Private visa | Tourist visa | |
| Preparation time | 20 working days for the invitation + 4-20 days for visa | 10 min for the invitation + 4-20 days for visa |
| Basis for visa | Invitation made through MIA of Russia in 20 working days by the Russian host who provides:applications, financial statements and guarantees | Tourist confirmation which can be ordered online in 10 minutes without any documents, just enter your passport data and travel dates.Get it here: Tourist confirmation Print and use! |
| Duration of stay | 90 days | 30 days For Greece, Austria and India tourist visa is valid for 6 months with 90 days of stay in each 180). For US citizens tourist visa is issued as other visa types for 3 years. |
| Cost of invitation | 800 rubles | 1190 rubles with visando (=19 EUR) |
| Registration in Russia | made by the owner of the apartment (who does not necessarily wish to provide you with this required document) | made by the hotel manager If you stay in a private apartment you’ll need to ask the owner to do it for you |
As you can see, for short time travels to visit your friends or family and spend some lovely vacations in Russia it’s much easier and faster to apply for a tourist visa!
But what if you need to stay a longer period of time? Consider the option of a business visa:
Private visa vs Business visa
| Private visa | Business visa | |
| Preparation time | 20 working days for the invitation + 4-20 days for visa | 10 min/ 13 working days for the invitation + 4-20 days for visa |
| Basis for visa | Invitation made through MIA of Russia in 20 working days by the Russian host who provides:applications, financial statements and guarantees | For EU and US citizens invitation from a Russian company is enough. It’s made within 10 min and accepted in copy. For the rest of countries, MIA issued invitation can be obtained in 13-20 working days. You will need to provide your copy of passport and the details of the planned trip. Get your visa support here: Business invitation Print and use! |
| Duration of stay | 90 days | 90 days For EU citizens a business visa can be issued for up to 5 years |
| Cost of invitation | 800 rubles | starting from 2490 rubles (a letter from company for 90 days) with visando (=32 EUR) |
| Registration in Russia | made by the owner of the apartment (who does not necessarily wish to provide you with this required document) | made by the hotel manager If you stay in a private apartment you’ll need to ask the owner to do it for you |
As you have realised there are some very good alternatives to a private visa in case you don’t want to bother your Russian host with all the tiresome process of collecting documents and applying for a private invitation for you. Or in case you need a visa with multiple entry and longer validity period. Consider this, and if you still have doubts or questions, feel free to write us by email and get your free consultation.
Expiry of visa. Prolongation
Last question, which probably interests a lot of travelers – whether you can prolong a Russian private visa or overstay its validity period. A private visa is the so-called short-term visa, thus it cannot be prolonged, neither converted into any other visa type. It is given for 90 days and after it expires, you have to leave the country. In case of overstay you will be subject to a penalty and even rejection of further entries.
If you need to come to Russia again – leave the country and apply for a new Russian visa from another state. The organ which issues visas in foreign states is the Russian Consulate department of the embassy of Russia in that state.
If there is an emergency – illness or death of your relative, which requires your overstay, you should contact the service of MFA of Russia (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and try to solicit prolongation of your visa. In rare cases it can be granted.
Otherwise, if you are planning to come to Russia more frequently, consider applying for a business visa with multiple entries during a year.
That’s all I’ve wanted to tell you about a Russian private visa and its alternatives. Don’t hesitate to ask your questions and get more information for your particular case by writing to our email.
Whichever visa you get, enjoy your stay in Russia!
