Russian visa for Canadians

This article is for you, if you are a Canadian citizen, willing to travel to Russia. The first question you might have is:

Do Canadians need a visa to Russia?

The answer is – Yes!

Even if it seems like a big challenge, we’ll help you get your Russian visa in an efficient, easy and budget-friendly way. Follow these step-to-step instructions, and find out how to find which visa you require, which documents to collect, where and how to apply for it, how much it will cost and how long you’ll have to wait for it.

Step 1. Deciding on your travel dates, and selecting the suitable visa type.

Though you don’t need to buy tickets, or make any non-refundable bookings in advance, you’ll still need to make up your mind as to the dates of your travel. At least know them approximately. Depending on the duration of trip and reasons for traveling there exist several main Russian visa types. Read on to choose which one suits you best.

Russian Tourist visa for Canadians

This visa type suits you, if:

• Duration of your trip is no longer than 30 days

• You are going to enter Russia once or twice within this period

• Your travel purposes are:
  • to do sightseeing
  • to stay in some sports or health resort
  • to attend a concert, festival, exhibition etc.
  • to go on a tour by any kind of vehicle

Russian Business and Humanitarian visa for Canadians

This visa type suits you if:

• Duration of your trip is from 30 days to 1 year.

• You are going to enter Russia once, twice or multiple times during a year

• Your travel purposes include:
  • Meeting Russian partners
  • Attending business fairs, exhibitions conferences and other events
  • Negotiating and signing agreements
  • Purchasing goods and services
  • Investing into Russian business
  • Attending social, religious, sports, political, charity and other types of events (humanitarian type)

Russian Private visa for Canadians

This visa type suits you if:

• Duration of your trip is from 30 days to 1 year

• You are going to enter Russia once, twice or multiple times during a year

• Your travel purposes include:
  • Visiting relatives or friends who are Russian citizens or permanent residents

Russian Student visa for Canadians

This visa type suits you if:

• Duration of your trip is from 90 days and above, depending on your study course. This visa is issued for 90 days with possibility to extend it while in Russia, if so required by the study course.

• You are going to enter Russia once, twice or multiple times, depending on your study course requirements

• Your travel purposes include:
  • studying at a Russian educational institution

Russian Work visa for Canadians

This visa type suits you if:

• Duration of your trip is from 90 days and above, depending on your employment contract. This visa is issued for 90 days with possibility to extend it while in Russia, if so required by your employer. If the applicant is invited as a Highly Qualified Specialist he’ granted a 3 years multiple entry work visa at once, with possibility of further extension in Russia.

• You are going to enter Russia once, twice or multiple times, depending on your contract requirements

• Your travel purposes include:
  • working under an official contract for a Russian employer

Russian Electronic Visa for Canadians

This visa type suits you if:

• Duration of your trip is no longer than 8 days out of 30

• You are going to enter Russia once

• Your travel purposes include:
  • standard tourism, sightseeing, traveling only in specified areas, namely one of the 3 regions: Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Region, Kaliningrad and Kaliningrad Region, the Far East and Vladivostok.

Step 2. Collecting documents for visa application, and getting your travel support

Once you’ve chosen the visa type you need, you’ll have to collect a set of documents for application. This includes:

• Current national passport with minimum 2 blank visa pages, valid at least 6 months beyond the expiration date of the Russian visa, you are applying for.

• Visa application form filled at visa.kdmid.ru. Once completed, it should be printed on both sides, signed and dated in the designated area.

For E-visa applicants we offer professional help in filling the form, as it’s crucial you complete it correctly, otherwise you may be rejected entry to the country. You can get your help here: Contact visando

• Color photograph 35mm x 45mm. Taken not earlier than 6 months, on a white background, no shades or head coverings, printed on photographic paper with date stamped on the back

• Travel support document or Invitation from Russia.

• For Tourist visa obtain invitation from the registered Russian tour operator. You can use our service here to get it in 10 min: Order tourist invitation It is sent in a scan, copies are accepted

• For Private visa ask your Russian host to get your invitation through the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, Department of migration affairs. The process will take around 20 working days. If you think it’s too long, consider going on a tourist visa instead

• For Business visa ask your Russian partners to make you an invitation through the Ministry of Internal Affairs. If they can’t provide you with one, order it here: Order Business invitation

• For Student visa ask your universty of school to make your invitation through the Ministry of internal Affairs. It might take up to 1.5 months. Currently they are issued in electronic form, you’ll print it out to apply

• For Work visa ask your Russian employer to make you an official invitation through the Ministry of internal Affairs. It might take up to 2 months. The invitations are accepted only in paper original. Don’t forget to order delivery.

• For E-visa or transit visa no invitations are required

• Introductory letter from the inviting company, or from yourself (if traveling individually), describing who is traveling, dates of visit, places of destination, purpose of visit.

• Extra document for work/student visa – original certificate stating you are HIV-negative. Test should be take via blood sample in any local clinic not earlier than 90 days before the application.

Step 3. Applying for visa and paying the fees

You have finally collected all required documents, and have them in a neat pile on your table, or so I hope ????

Now it’s time to finally apply for your visa. Where should you do it? There are two options to consider:

• Directly at the Russian Consular Division in Ottawa in person upon prior appointment booked at http://ottawa.kdmid.ru/queue-en/

• At Consulate General of Russia in Toronto or Montreal in person upon prior appointment booked here: http://toronto.kdmid.ru/queue-en/  and here http://montreal.kdmid.ru/
• At one of licensed visa centers in Ottawa, Toronto or Montreal either in person or by post

Visa centers have been opened to facilitate the processing of visa applications, and you will find it much easier to apply through them, especially if you can’t come in person and decide to choose application by post service. 

If your documents contain any mistakes, or the set is incomplete, a visa center officers will always help you, while the consular division doesn’t have time to check everything at the moment of submission, and if something is wrong they simply don’t accept the application. So, I’d rather apply through the visa center, though it’s up to you.

Remember that you have to pay the consular fee, when submitting your documents. 

CONSULAR FEE

Type of visa – number of entries	Urgent processing (3 business days)	Normal processing (20 business days)
Single entry	224 CAD	112 CAD
Double entry	358 CAD	179 CAD
Multiple entry	672 CAD	336 CAD

If you apply at the Consular departments, payment is made at the time of submission of document by money order in favor of the Embassy of Russia.

VISA CENTER FEES

• To apply via visa center you’ll need to pay extra service fee, which amounts to 50 CAD.
• When submitting documents by post, applicant’s also pay postal application fee, which is 45 CAD
• if you want passport delivered back you can pay for secure courier delivery 45 CAD more.

If you wish to order any extra services like photocopies, same day delivery, filling visa form for you etc, you’ll have to pay extras as per tariffs of the visa center.

If you apply in person, you can pay at the visa center. If you choose postal application, you can pay by money order or bank draft favoring “Artionis Canada Corporation”. Put the receipt along with the rest of documents into the envelope and ship it by post to the selected visa center.

Get the addresses and other contacts by this link: Russian Consulates and Embassies

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

Step 4. Receiving your passport and checking visa

You can collect your passport after the processing of your visa application finishes and you get notified about it. If you submitted it to the Consular Division, you’ll need to appear in person and collect it. 

If you submitted it to the visa center and prepaid the return delivery just wait for your passage to be carried to the provided address.

Please check carefully what’s indicated in your visa, especially validity dates, number of entries and the inviting organization.

If everything’s okay, you can pack your bags and get ready to travel. Don’t forget to take your passport, hotel bookings, and invitation with you.

Step 5. Arriving to Russia and making registration

Once in Russia, you’ll require to obtain two more documents to carry along during your trip:

• Migration Card
• Registration

The first will be given to you by flight attendant on board the plane to fill, or by the immigration officer at control point. You’ll need to fill it with details of your trip – dates, places of stay etc. It will be then stamped by the officer, and you’ll be given one part of the document to save. When you leave, you’ll need to submit it back at the control.

Registration is something, which is normally made by the hotels where you stay, or by the owner of the apartment if you choose private accommodation, or stay at your friend’s place. A foreign individual staying over 7 working days in Russia needs to get registered at the post or police office in the district of his accommodation. The owner of apartment will in this way inform the authorities of place of stay of the foreigner during his visit. Make sure you contact your Russian host in advance to ask for this service. Registration is not often checked, but it’s still recommended to have it.

Now you are ready to enjoy you travel. Have a great time in Russia! 

I hope the article helped you get your Russian visa. If you still have questions left, write to our email and get your free consultation.