Russian visa for Austrian citizens

Whether you are booking a relaxing vacation or a business trip to Russia, the first question you might be asking is:

Do Austrian citizens need a visa to Russia?

• Yes, they do!

Getting a visa can be quite a chore, with all the application process, collecting the required documents, determining the visa type, paying the fees etc. But I am here to help you get a clear picture of how to get your Russian visa in the most efficient way. Read on and follow the main steps to your Russian visa.

Step 1. Determine your travel dates and the visa type you require

To identify the visa type you need, think about the dates and duration of your trip, number of entries, purpose of your travel. See below the list of main Russian visa types.

Russian Tourist visa for Austrian citizens

Duration of visit: 30 or 180 days (you can stay 90 days out of 180 in total).

Number of entries: single, double, multiple

Reasons for traveling: 

• Sightseeing vacations
• Excursions and tours
• Staying at health and sports resorts
• Visiting festivals, concerts, exhibitions and other cultural events
• Going on trans-siberian railway tour
• Driving/cycling/hiking independently through the country (to cross the road border on your own vehicle you’ll need Auto-tourism sub-purpose)
• Taking medical tests and consultations (Aim tourism)
• Attending brief business meetings (Aim tourism)
• Traveling to Russian ports on cruises (if you go as part of organized group with stay on board the ship, and organized visits to the port, you can stay 72 hours without visa, otherwise you’ll need a tourist visa)

Basis for visa: Tourist confirmation from a Russian tour operator registered in organization of Rostourism

Russian Private Visa for Austrian citizens

Duration of visit: up to 90 days

Number of entries: single, double

Reasons for traveling:

• Visiting your relatives and friends – citizens of the Russian Federation, or permanent residents of Russia

Basis for visa – invitation issued by the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs following the request of the Russian host 

Russian Business and Humanitarian visa for Austrian citizens

Duration of visit: 90 days out of 180. A visa can be issued for up to 5 years

Number of entries: single, double, multiple

Reasons for traveling:

• Attending meetings with Russian partners
• Participating in conferences, fairs, exhibitions and other events
• Signing contracts, agreements, purchasing goods and services for business
• Giving trainings, doing maintenance support work 
• Carrying out short-term commercial activities (Commercial sub-purpose)
• Investing into Russian business etc.
• Attending cultural, sports, political, religious, charity events (Humanitarian type)

Basis for visa: 

• Invitation by a Russian host company, or

• invitation issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russian following a request of the Russian host company, or

• invitation issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia following a request of the Russian host company (in the form of Telex made in 12 working days)

Russian Study Visa for Austrian citizens

Duration of visit: 

90 days and over. Initially, a study visa is issued for 90 days but can be extended by the educational establishment on the territory of Russia, if required by the course.

Number of entries: single, multiple. 

Reasons for traveling: 

• Studying at a Russian academic institution

Basis for visa: Invitation issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russian following a request of a Russian educational institution.

Russian Work visa for Austrian citizens

Duration of visit:

90 days and over, according to the employment contract. A visa can be issued for 90 days or for 3 years for Highly Qualified Experts. Both can be extended on the territory of Russia if it’s required by the employment contract conditions.

Number of entries: single, multiple

Reasons for traveling: 

• Carrying out paid work under an official labour contract for a Russian company

Basis for visa: official invitation supplied by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia following a request of the Russian employing company (invitations accepted only in original).

Russian Transit Visa for Austrian 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 en route to another country 

Basis for visa: Travel tickets for entry and exit from Russia.

Important: Travelers making connections and staying in transit zone of the airport 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 Electronic Visa for Austrian citizens

Duration of visit: 8 days. A visa is issued for 30 days but you can stay only 8 days within validity of your E-visa.

Number of entries: Single

Reasons for traveling: 

• Visiting one of the three regions: Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Region, or The Far East and Vladivostok, or Kaliningrad and Kaliningrad Region for touristic purposes, brief business visit, or short humanitarian trip. 

Basis for visa: Filled online form 

Step 2. Gather a list of documents for visa

When you have established the visa type you need to apply for, it’s time to collect the necessary documents.  The list includes:

• Your personal original passport, with validity of at least 6 months beyond exit date from Russia, containing minimum 2 blank visa designated pages

• Invitation you received from Russia. Check the inviting authorities in types of visa above, and contact them to get your visa support document. 

We’ll help you to: 

• Get your tourist confirmation from a registered Russian tour operator here in 10 min (accepted in copy): Order visa support
• Get your business invitation here in 1 to 20 working days (accepted both in copy and original):  Order visa support

• Completed online visa form. 

For regular visas proceed to visa.kdmid.ru, fill the form in, print it on both sides, sign, and date.

For E-visa, request professional assistance to fill the form here: http://visando.com/apply-evisa 

Note: E-visa applications must be filled not later than 4 days before your trip.

• Your recent passport-style color photo 3.5 x 4.5 cm on white background, without shades or head coverings, unless the applicant wears it due to religious requirements, and appears wearing them on his/her passport photo. Read more on photo specifications here: Visa photo requirements. Carefully glue the photo into the marked field in the visa form

• Tourist medical insurance policy in original. Make sure it covers the period of your stay in full, and be valid on the territory of the Russian Federation. The policy should be stamped by the insurance company, and contain details of the insured person and insuring organization, as well as its individual number. The amount of cover shouldn’t be less than 30.000 euro.

• For Work/ Study visa, if you are planning to stay over 90 days, you’ll also require an HIV-negative certificate, obtained in any local clinic. It’s valid for 3 months.

Remember, you can apply for a visa not earlier than 3 months before your entry date.

Step 3. Apply for a visa and pay the fees

Austrian citizens can apply for a Russian visa at:

• Russian Consular Department in Vienna or Salzburg, in person after booking an appointment at the website http://wien.kdmid.ru/ or http://salzburg.kdmid.ru/ 

• Russian licensed Artionis visa centers located in the same cities, by post or in person

If you choose to apply by post at the visa center pack your documents in an envelope and address it to:

the Russian Visa Center 

Eberhard Fuggerstrasse 2a,

5020 Salzburg

Take the cover off your passport, before sending it. 

Note, tourist visa applications should be sent 90 days before travel to Russia.

You will need to also insert the payment confirmation receipt along with the rest of documents. See the tariffs below.

Paying visa fees

To apply at the consulate directly, be ready to pay the Consular fees, which amount to:

35 Euro for Standard processing (4-20 working days)

70 Euro for Urgent processing (3 working days)

For long-term Student/ Work visas the consular fee will be:

Visa entries	Standard processing 4-20 working days	Expedited processing 1-3 working days
Single	78 €	156 €
Double	124 €	248 €
Multiple	233 €	466 €

The payment is made by Visa/Maestro/ Mastercard at Window #1 of the Consulate office. Cash is not accepted.

For applicants applying in person at the Visa Center, the payment for visa will include Consular fee and Service fee. The total amount can be found on the website of the visa center in each visa category. The fees can be paid by credit card at the moment of documents submission. 

For applicants sending documents by post it’s mandatory to pay extra charge for:

• Visa application service charge – 30 €

• Courier service – 20 €
• postal fee 15 €
• sms notification 2 €

The payment should be made via e-banking or through bank transfer in favour of Artionis GmbH:

Bank – Erste Bank

IBAN: AT28 2011 1841 4925 7300

BIC: GIBAATWWXXX

Don’t forget to include the payment confirmation in your envelope with documents addressed to the visa center in Salzburg.

You can see the list of websites and addresses of consulates and visa centers here: Russian consulates and embassies

Important: E-visa applicants don’t need to pay any fees.

Step 4. Receive your visa and check it

If you have applied at the consulate once the stipulated time has passed, you’ll need to go pick up your passport with visa.

If you applied at the visa center you can check the status of your application on their website and collect the passport in person, or delegate someone to do it for you.

If you applied by post, you’ll get the document delivered to your address by DHL.

Carefully examine your visa. Check the duration period, number of entries, your name spelling and other details.

If everything’s in order, you can start packing your suitcase.

Step 5. Arrive to Russia and get registered

Before you plunge into your adventures in Russia, there’ll be two more documents to get:

• Migration card
• Registration

The first is usually handed out to you on board the plane or by immigration officer at control. It’s a document with two parts, where you’ll write some details like dates of your trip and place of intended stay, in Russian or English in block letters. Don’t lose it, and carry along in your passport during your stay in Russia. You’ll need to return it when leaving the country.

The second document is necessary if you plan to stay over 7 working days in Russia. If you are staying in a hotel, the management will take charge of it, and provide you with the required registration for the period of your stay. 

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 to make sure, he’ll provide you with registration. It’s made at the local post or police office.

I hope with my instructions and tips you’ll have a positive experience obtaining your Russian visa. 

If you need more information on the topic, reach me by email and get a free consultation. I’ll be glad to help you.

Some travel tips for you:

• Leave emergency numbers where you can be reached by family members or friends

• You can buy a local mobile SIM card in any mobile operator’s office to use internet, in case you find yourself out of wi-fi zone. They are inexpensive. Most places have free wi-fi cover, though.

• Contact your bank to notify you’ll be traveling and using your credit cards in Russia

• Exchange some currency at a good rate. Though credit cards are accepted everywhere around Russia, you might want to pay in cash if the currency rate is not very favourable in your bank

• Buy transport cards like Troyka for using transport system in Moscow and other cities

• Make your itinerary in advance, check on the schedules of places of attraction you want to visit 

• Don’t be afraid of Russians, they are mostly friendly and glad to help foreign tourists to navigate around. You can use a phrasebook or some translation app if your locals don’t understand English

• Enjoy your journey and take memorable photos