Private visa to Russia for foreign travelers

Published by Mike Lomberg June 4, 2020

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 stay90 days. US citizens can apply for 3 years visa but stay only 90 days out of every 180
Number of entriesSingle 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 tripVisiting relatives and friends in Russia
Basis for visaOfficial invitation issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia (MIA) upon request of the Russian host.
Preparation time20 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:

Частная виза в Россию

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:

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:

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

Частное приглашение в Россию электронный формат

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 visaTourist visa
Preparation time20 working days for the invitation + 4-20 days for visa10 min for the invitation + 4-20 days for visa
Basis for visaInvitation 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 stay90 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 invitation800 rubles1190 rubles with visando (=19 EUR)
Registration in Russiamade 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 visaBusiness visa
Preparation time20 working days for the invitation + 4-20 days for visa10 min/ 13 working days for the invitation + 4-20 days for visa
Basis for visaInvitation 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 stay90 days
90 days
For EU citizens a business visa can be issued for up to 5 years 
Cost of invitation800 rublesstarting from 2490 rubles (a letter from company for 90 days)  with visando (=32 EUR)
Registration in Russiamade 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!

Натюрморт с русским самоваром